The Black Dahlia Huntress
by Sea of Topaz
Summary: Bella has a bro Emmett. He's 13 yr older & lives with Charlie. When Bellas 7 he & friends go hiking and are never seen again. Bella happens upon events that lead her to a strange meeting with several familiar faces. Bella's a little more than human.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. I'm not going to say this every chapter but that doesn't change the fact that I don't own this.**

**Summary: Renee and Charlie had two children. Bella, and Emmett. Emmett was thirteen years old when Renee had Bella. Then Renee and Charlie got a divorce. Six years after, Emmett and his friends are hiking in the woods and they are never found. Just after Bella's sixteenth birthday, her mother dies. Bella moves up to Forks to live with Charlie. ****But Bella isn't just human. Bella is just a little more than that. How will she deal with three worlds pressing in on every side? Can she cope? Will there be a happily ever after this time?**** And what happens when she sees a familiar face? A familiar and supposedly dead face.**

**

* * *

**

_Emmett POV_

"You have a baby sister, Emmett," my dad Charlie crowed cheerfully. "Wanna go see her?"

A broad grin spread across my face as I leapt to my feet, tearing off down the hall to my mom's room. Renee was lying on the bed, her face coated in a light sheen of sweat, but she was positively glowing with happiness, cooing down at the pink bundle in her arms.

"Hey mom!" I whispered.

She turned her smile upon me. "Hey Em, come see your new sister."

I gazed down at the little baby in my mother's arms as I walked slowly towards the bed. My little sister was tiny! I swear my thumb was the same width of her wrist! "She's so cute," I said quietly. "And small," I added with a snicker.

"Would you like to hold her?" my mom asked.

My smile grew as I nodded. "Yeah, I'd love to."

My mom slowly extended her arms. "Careful," she warned. "You have to support her neck. When babies are young, their necks aren't very strong. Hold her gently, her bones aren't very strong yet."

"I know mom," I sighed. "I got this, okay?"

"I trust you, honey, I'm just worried," she said.

I slid one arm under my little sisters tiny physique, the other winding around her side, her head resting on my hand. My mom pulled her arms away, smiling gently.

"Her name is Isabella Marie Swan," mom informed me.

"Bella," I whispered. Bella's eyes dragged open, slowly, one at a time. Her beautiful, warm brown eyes blinked up about me. I held a finger out to her.

Her rosy pink lips twitched slightly, as I ran my index finger down her soft blushing cheek.

"Hmm?"

"Bella," I told her. "I like the name Bella."

"Charlie what do you think?" she asked, turning her head to face my dad.

"I think it's wonderful," he said, sitting himself down on the opposite side of the bed, kissing my mom's forehead.

"I love it," she yawned.

"You should rest," my dad instructed. "I'll take Emmett home and I'll be back in the morning after I take him to school. Love you."

"Love you too," she mumbled, eyes closed.

"Here mom," I said, placing Bella back in mom's lap. "Love you and see you tomorrow." I kissed her on the cheek before turning to my baby sister. "We're gonna be best friends one day. You just wait. You wait and see. I love you, Bells." Then with a kiss on the cheek and quick hug to mom, I turned and walked from the room.

* * *

_Six Months Later_

"You're just so stupid!" mom screamed. I flinched, clutching Bella tightly against my chest as the loud smashing of glass echoed through the house. Bella wailed, tears streaking down her rosy cheeks.

"Shh, shh, shh," I whispered, rocking her slowly back and forth on my bed. "It's okay, Bellsies. Shh." I held her bottle to her plump lips, letting her suck the warm milk.

"You're never home!" she shrieked followed by the sound of another plate smashing. "You never make any time for me or your son or your daughter!" More glass breaking.

The bottle fell the ground as Bella keened loudly. Her large brown eyes were filled with tears that flowed down her face. Finally, I had had enough.

"Hey!" I yelled, storming down the stairs, glaring furiously at my parents. "You have a six month old baby daughter and all you do is scream and throw things! Bella needs rest! How can you be so inconsiderate? She is a BABY!"

My mom's angry red face softened. Her arms were extended to me, asking without words to hold Bella.

I shook my head lividly, whirling on my heel, back up the stairs, back to Bella's room. I sat slowly down in the rocking chair by the window, rolling back and forth gently.

"Everything will be okay. Everything has to be okay. Mom is just angry," I whispered again and again to Bella, feeling the doubt wash through me. But how could I convince her, when I couldn't convince myself?

* * *

_Later that year_

"I just can't do this anymore," my mom whispered. "I have to go."

"Please, don't go. We can work this out," dad said, brokenly. "Please."

"I'm sorry I can't," she answered.

I felt hot tears running down my face. I held Bella against my chest, tucking her head under my chin. Her soft brown hair tickled my neck.

I heard the scraping of something against wood. Then the door opened. Mom stood there, her black suitcase in one hand, a small pink one in the other.

"Emmett, I love you sweetie, but I can't stay here. Please give Bella," she pled softly.

I shook my head stubbornly. "You can't take her," I hissed. "For months you couldn't even take care of her. How do I know you can care for her now?"

"Never speak that way to me again! I am your mother now give me my daughter!"

Without waiting for an answer, she scooped Bella from my arms and vanished down the stairs, the door slamming shut behind her.

I gazed at the closed door, feeling the empty loneliness. For the last seven or eight months, I had gone almost everywhere with my little sister in my arms. I had fed her and cared for her and now she was gone. Taken from me by the one person I was sure could not care for her.

* * *

**I know I didn't get that far into the plot but I did as much as I could with the time I was given. The 'rents took my computer away so I wrote this all this morning along with the next chapter of my other story I'm Scared/Audra Isabella Potter, so ya gotta give me credit for that. **

**If you like the beginning of this story, please review because I'm thinking about continuing this. I think maybe seven to ten reviews, favorites, or story alerts might convince me. So if you like it, do any of the three above, reviewing is preferable.**

**Thanks a bunch and love always,**

**Sea of Topaz**


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay so I got enough reviews, story alerts, and favorites on this, so I'm continuing it. I'm really glad because I liked this.**

**I know there are a lot of stories where Emmett is Bella's older brother, but none will be quite like this one. Ha ha. I have some things planned that are extremely different from the usual brother sister story. I hope you guys don't mind this taking a major twist in this chapter.**

* * *

_Emmett POV_

_Five Years Later_

I was practically jumping up and down in my seat as I focused on the gate.

"Dude calm down," Jasper chuckled. "Bells was just here six months ago."

Alice swatted at his arm playfully. "She only comes to visit twice a year. He has a right to be excited."

Rosalie took my hand in her carefully manicured one. Her bright blue eyes sparkled sweetly. "I can't wait to see her either. And I can't believe I am actually going to say this but Jasper is right. You're more excited than Alice after she goes shopping."

"I resent that," Alice laughed.

An old wrinkled woman in a navy blue skirt suit pushed the metal double doors open then. A flight attendant, also wearing that boring skirt suit, and holding Bella's hand, came walking down the tunnel.

"She's here," I yelled. "Bella!"

Little Bella yawned but she ran towards me, brown eyes glittering. Her short arms were outstretched, shoulder length brown hair fanning out behind her.

I swung her up into my arms, twirling her around before hugging her tightly.

"Emmy!" she laughed hysterically. I tossed her up into the air, catching her lightly under the arms. "Emmy!"

I smiled. My little Bella was the only one I ever allowed to call me Emmy. People could call me Emmett or Em but no one could ever call me Emmy. That name I saved for Bella and Bella alone.

"Bella," Rosalie giggled, pretending to look hurt. "I want a hug. Don't you want to give me a hug too?"

I passed Bella to Rose, watching her smile grow. My Rose loved children. Rose kissed Bella on the forehead before handing her over to Jasper. He ruffled her hair then tossed her up into the air for Alice to catch. Bella was so light, Alice, who just cleared the five foot mark, could catch her. Alice gave her a warm hug. Before she could begin babbling about how they would go shopping, Edward plucked Bella from her arms.

Bella shrieked delightedly as he pretended to drop her. "Hey! Eddie!" she dragged her nickname for him out into five syllables. He too had a nickname only Bella was ever allowed to call him. Whenever the rest of us called him Eddie, he would tell us to shut up and sulk for a half an hour.

Edward chuckled. "Bella!" he mimicked her sweet songlike voice.

"Okay, okay, give me my little sister back," I said, rolling my eyes.

Truth be told, I was jealous. Bella had taken an immediate liking to Edward and he to her. And I didn't like it. I wanted my little sister to want to spend time with me and only me. I knew I was being irrational and that one day she would find someone to spend her whole life with but I didn't want that to happen either. And I definitely didn't want her first crush to be my best friend.

_Edward's too old for her anyway._ I told myself. _He wouldn't be creepy like that._

Edward, sensing my thoughts, grinned. "Here, I didn't want to talk to her anyway," he teased her gently.

Bella stuck her lower lip out and pretended to cry for a second before the laughter broke from her chest and she burst into a fit of mirth.

"I want my little Belly Bean back," I said irritably, using the name she hated.

"Whatever man," Edward said, his emerald green eyes looked slightly hurt, but never the less he handed Bella back to me.

"I'm not a Jelly Bean," she grumbled, arms crossed as she pouted.

"You just eat them non stop," I chuckled.

"Phil told mommy to stop buying them because they aren't good for me," she answered pertly.

My face hardened. _How dare he tell my mom what to do! And at the expense of Bella! _I fumed mentally.

"Well than you have to eat them here," Jasper said quickly, casting a worried look at me. He knew my dislike for my mom's fiancé.

"Let's go get your bags Bellsies," I said flatly.

She sensed my bad mood and wriggled down from my arms. She took my hand in her left and Edwards in her right. Our hands were so much larger than hers, her small fingers could only wrap around three of our fingers.

I led the way to the elevators, pressing the button, smiling slightly when Bella poked it again and again.

The door slid open and I attempted to pull Bella into the elevator but she froze. Her large brown eyes grew wide with fear and she dug her feet into ground.

"Go away. Leave me alone. I didn't do anything. Please."

"Bella?" I asked bemusedly.

Edward knelt down so he was eye to eye with her. "What's wrong?" he asked gently.

"Don't wanna take the elevators!" she wailed, a large tear rolled down her cheek.

"Why not?" he continued, wiping the tear away but keeping his hand on her cheek. His face was contorted into a mask of pain and sadness.

Bella's mouth snapped shut and she refused to look at any of us.

"There's nothing to be scared of in there," I whispered. "You'll have all of us in there with you."

"We would never let anything happen to you squirt," Jasper said, resting a hand on her shoulder in a very brotherly fashion.

I pulled Bella up and hugged her to my chest. "It'll all be okay," I soothed her. "Come on."

I stepped into the elevator slowly. Bella cringed, slightly, her arms tightening around my neck.

"See we're all still alive," Alice shrieked cheerfully.

"Why is she scared of elevators?" Jasper asked over her head.

I shrugged, not enough for Bella to notice, but enough for him to know that I didn't know. But his question bothered me. Why _was_ Bella afraid of elevators? She was totally fine the last time she had come to visit.

The car ride back was quiet. I drove my jeep through the quiet forest, thoughts brooding. Rose sat in the passenger seat, her left hand under my right. Edward sat next to Bella in the back. She had cried herself to sleep after the elevator, leaning against him, his arms around her.

Jasper and Alice were taking her Porsche and had promised to meet us at Charlie's house.

I glanced in the rearview mirror to check on Bella. Her tear stained cheeks were flushed and glistening with water. My gaze moved from Bella to Edward. He had both arms wrapped around her, his penetrating green gaze turned on her. There was agony in his eyes, his face, usually emotionless, twisted into a mask of despondency.

I would have felt unnerved by the strength of emotions on his face if I weren't so worried for Bella. She seemed so broken, compared to her last visit. What had gone on in Pheonix that had changed her so much in just six months?

I recounted everything that had been in her phone calls. Her fifth birthday, just after she left six months ago and mom's engagement shortly after that. She had made some new friends at school and she said her teacher, Mrs. Granelle, was nice. Phil had moved in with mom.

_Phil _I snarled mentally. That had to be it.

The jeep lurched to a stop in our driveway. Bella shrieked as she jerked forward in her seat. Edward caught her the second after she fell off the seat.

"Emmett Swan!" Rosalie snapped. Her hand vanished from under mine and slapped across the back of my head.

"Ow!" I exclaimed indignantly.

"Bella are you alright?" Edward asked.

I twisted to look at the two of them in the backseat.

Bella's eyes were wide and glazed, giving her the appearance of a person who had no idea what was going on. She was shivering hard like she was cold.

Edward unbuckled her seat belt and pulled her onto his lap. His hand stroked her hair gently. Bella snapped out of it as soon as his hand touched her. She curled into his chest, one hand tightening around a fistful of his shirt, her eyes squishing shut tight.

"Bells?" I murmured sliding from the front seat and opening her door.

She didn't answer.

"Let's take her inside," Rosalie instructed. "Emmett get her bag. Edward bring Bella and come with me." She stepped gracefully from the car, my key in her hand.

* * *

_Bella POV_

A lady in an awful blue skirt suit came up to me. "Come on sweetie," she said in a sweet voice. "I'm sure your family is anxious to see you."

_Emmy! _ I rejoiced. Daddy had said that Emmy would come to pick me up from the airport and to look for him at the gate.

I hopped down from my seat and took the lady's hand practically dragging her off the plane into the tunnel. I cast a wary eye around the enclosed space and sped up slightly.

"Dear I'm sure they won't leave without you," she laughed. "You can slow down."

But my relentless pace didn't slow.

"She's here!" I heard Emmett yell. "Bella!"

A yawn escaped my lips and I released the lady's hand, running towards Emmett. He bent low and swept me up, twirling me around.

"Emmy!" I giggled as he tossed me into the air. "Emmy!" Warmth spread through me at seeing my big brother again. I felt an overwhelming wave of safeness wash over me as he hugged me. When Emmett was around, no one could hurt me. He would always protect me. He promised.

Rosalie emited a bell like laugh, "Bella, I want a hug! Don't you want to give me a hug too?"

I smiled as Emmett passed me to Rose. I wrapped my small arms tightly around her neck, holding onto her as if for dear life. My eyes closed for a second. I could sense the love from Rose, whom I thought of as a mother more than Renee. She cared for me. She read me bedtime stories and sang me to sleep. Rose brushed my hair and held me when I was scared. She did everything a good mom would.

Not that I didn't love my mom, but she was too free-spirited and confused. Her life was a big game and I was character. I forced that thought from my mind when Jasper took me from Rose.

"Good to see you squirt," he whispered, ruffling my hair. Then he threw me up into the air.

Alice's small hands caught me. Her hug was strong. She opened her mouth to speak.

_Not shopping. Not shopping. Not shopping. _I begged mentally.

But before a sound came from her mouth, Edward swept me from her grasp.

"Hello Bella," he whispered in my ear.

I gave him a quick hug, screaming in delight when he pretended to drop me. "Hey!" I cried, indignantly. "Eddie!" I wailed in a singsong voice. I smiled to myself. Edward only ever, ever let me call him Eddie. Alice had tried once and he had told her to shut up. Then he was angry for an hour before I sat down to talk to him.

"Bella," he mimicked me. I tried my best to glare at him, but his emerald green eyes were dancing with delight. Finally I gave up and smiled at him.

"Okay, okay, give me my little sister back," Emmett said.

I frowned slightly at my older brother. I wanted to play with Eddie. I don't get to see him as much as I see Emmett. Emmett came to visit me in Pheonix once a year. I only see Eddie twice a year.

Eddie gave me my favorite crooked smile. "Here, I didn't want to talk to her anyway," he teased.

I pretended to be seriously offended and fake cried. Then I began to laugh. _Maybe I need sleep _I thought.

"I want my little Belly Bean back," Emmett complained.

That killed my happy mood. I hated that name. He always called me Belly Bean because I loved Jelly Beans.

With a slightly hurt look in his now dulled green eyes, Edward handed me back to my older brother.

"I'm not a Jelly Bean," I grumbled. "Don't call me that," I added in an undertone.

"You just eat them non stop."

"Phil told mommy to stop buying them because they aren't good for me." Phil _had _told my mom to stop buying them for me but she kept giving them to me. He took them away when he caught me eating them and made me swear not to tell her that he did.

"Well than you have to eat them here," Jasper chuckled.

Emmett's voice was flat when he spoke again. "Let's go get your bags Bellsies."

I could almost taste his bad mood, it was so strong. I wriggled free from his grasp, allowing my feet to touch the ground before taking a few of his fingers in my left hand and a few of Edward's in my right.

Emmett pressed the button to call the elevator. I watched it light up, then poked it again, then again, then again.

But once the doors opened, I froze. A woman in a white dress was looming over me. Blood dripped down her gown. A knife wound was clearly visible, contrasting darkly against the white satin. Her eyes were dull. Dead.

* * *

**Any guesses on what Bella can do or is? Review and tell me. If anyone can guess in one word what Bella is, I will count that as all five reviews and update within the next six hours of that review.**

**Please review. I won't update without at least five reviews. I know I suck but some people ask for much higher numbers than this.**

**Also keep in mind that now I have two stories. I had originally planned to finish Audra Isabella Potter/I'm Scared and the sequel to that before opening a new story so I can't keep updating both every week. One will get an update one week than the other on another week. It depends on which one gets the reviews first.**

**Thanks a million for reading my stories**

**Sea of Topaz**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you all for guessing. You all got what she could do, but not what the power was called or what she is. Bella is……… Well actually I can't tell you because that would ruin future chapters.**

* * *

My breath quickened, my eyes growing wide with terror.

"Please, help me," the woman rasped. I could tell her voice had once been beautiful. "You have to help me. You're the only one that can."

"Go away," I squeaked. "Leave me alone, I didn't do anything. Please."

"Bella?" Emmett's voice brought me back to reality.

The dead woman's head snapped up to look at him before with a gust of cold air, she vanished.

Edward knelt, his forehead furrowing in confusion. Pain and sadness splayed across his face. "What's wrong?"

"Don't wanna take the elevators!" I gasped. A hot, fat tear, ran down my cheek.

"Why not?" Edward wiped the tear away, leaving his hand on my cheek.

I looked down at my feet. _Would he think I was crazy? Would he be angry with me?_

"There's nothing to be scared of in there," Emmett comforted me. "You'll have all of us in there with you."

Jasper rested a hand on my shoulder. "We would never let anything happen to you squirt."

Emmett pulled me up into his iron grasp. "It'll all be okay. Come on."

I cringed against him when he stepped into the elevator.

"See we're all still alive," Alice laughed, patting my back.

_For now. _I thought.

Tears, hot and salty flowed down my cheeks.

I barely notice Emmett setting me down in the back and Edward's arms wrapping around me. I leaned into him, ruining his shirt with the salt. He just held me, rocking me back and forth, whispering words of comfort in my ear.

Eventually I fell asleep in his arms.

The car jerked suddenly. I screamed, my eyes flying open. Edward's hands caught me before I hit the ground.

"Emmett Swan!" Rosalie snapped. A loud slap resonated through the car as she hit him.

Then I saw another one. A man, wearing a black raincoat, was staring at me from the tree line. Blood was splattered across his face.

"Bella are you alright?" Edward asked.

When I didn't respond, Edward unbuckled my seat belt, lifting me gently into his lap. Once his hand touched me, my eyes cleared and the world came back into focus.

Emmett called my name but I could barely hear him.

_So many. _I thought numbly. _Too many._

I curled tightly into Edward. My fist closed around a handful of his shirt.

I felt the slow rock of Edward's walking as he carried me to the house. I kept my eyes shut tight trying to block the memories. Try as I might, they came.

* * *

_Flashback_

_I sat in the backseat of Phil's car. He had just picked me up from school and I was babbling cheerfully about how my day went._

_I glanced out the window and froze. A man's face was gazing back at me. Blood dripped down the side of his face. _

"_Help me please," he begged. "I know you can see me. Please help me!"_

_My mouth opened in a scream. _

_The car jolted as Phil stomped on the breaks. "Bella?" he asked._

"_A man," I gasped. "A man, dead, blood, talking to me. He was just here. Outside the window!"_

_Phil chuckled though his eyes darkened. "I think someone needs to sleep a little more. Don't worry. There's no one there."_

_Tears welled in my eyes as he turned the car back onto the road and continued down the highway._

_I looked back to the window. The bloody man was gone. There was a man. I had seen him and I wasn't going crazy. I knew that. There was one more thing I knew. That man I had seen standing outside my window and heard talking to me, that man was dead._

_End Flashback_

* * *

Edward's warm hand stroked my hair.

"Bella?"

"Bells?"

"Bella?"

"Bella?"

Everyone, Emmett, Alice, Jasper and Rosalie, they were all calling to me. Edward still had me in his arms, which I was grateful for.

"What do you think is wrong with her?" Rosalie asked in small voice.

"I don't know," Jasper answered her question. "Should we take her to the hospital?"

"No!" Emmett protested veremently at the same time that Edward said, "That won't help."

Slowly, my eyes cracked open. "Too many," I groaned, breathless.

"Too many what Bella?" Edward asked.

"Nothing," I lied.

"Bella," Emmett warned, his tone stern but under it, I heard relief and sadness.

I could tell they wanted to ask more questions but at that moment the door opened.

"Kids?" Charlie's voice called. I heard the stomp of his boots as he trudged into the house then the rustling of fabric as he slid them off. "Emmett did you pick up your sister from the airport?"

"Daddy!" I squealed, jumping out of Eddie's lap and racing down the hall. My dad was standing in the hall, his police coat still on, his gun in his belt and the badge pinned to his chest.

"Bells!" he cried happily, scooping me up in his right arm, on the opposite side of his gun and holster. "How are you sweetie?"

I shrugged. "Tired."

"Well we can order pizza than you go take a bath and go to sleep," he instructed. "Where's Emmett and everyone else?"

"We're in here Charlie," Rose called from the living room.

Dad unhooked the gun holster from his belt and hung it on the wall, taking the bullets out and putting them in a side pocket of the leather.

"Why don't you go sit the big kids and I'll go order the pizza?" he asked.

I nodded, blowing at a piece of hair hanging in front of my face. He set me on my feet and I ran back down the hall.

"Weeee!" I squealed, launching myself across the room and bouncing on the couch.

"This isn't over Bella," Emmett said. "I want to know."

"Not now," I mumbled looking pointedly at the kitchen. Charlie's voice could be heard as he ordered three pizzas.

"Fine," he huffed angrily. "We'll talk about this later."

"Fine," I said flatly.

* * *

**Please review. This time I would like six reviews. The number might go up or down with how many chapters I have or with how the plot goes.**

**The reviews for this story are doing very well compared to the other story I have. This has gotten two updates since I started writing it and on the day the story was posted, was the day I last updated I'm Scared. So good job.**

**If you like Harry Potter X Twilight, my other story is one.**

**Summary: Audriana Isabella Potter, Harry's 8 day old sister and 3-year-old Harry were left at the Dursleys. Audra's godfather Moony and Harry's godfather Padfoot are, after four years, finally allowed by Dumbledore to visit them. Remus and Sirius take the Potter children away when they realize they are being abused. Harry and Audra are scared of everything so what happens when the mysterious and beautiful Cullens move in next door? Bella and Audra are the same people.**

**I really hope the twist wasn't too much. **

**I just read this book called **_**The Summoning **_**by Kelley Armstrong. It was about a fifteen year old girl who could communicate with the dead. I highly recommend it.**

**There's a TV show called Ghost Whisper. Melinda Gordon can speak to the dead and she spends all her free time trying to help them crossover. It's really good.**

**Love ya all,**

**Sea of Topaz**


	4. Chapter 4

**Congrats to Bloodthirsty Butterfly! You are the only one so far to guess the word I was looking for. Yay! **

**Everyone please keep guessing. You all make me so happy! You actually made me so happy, I updated my other story without all the reviews.**

**Sorry about this chapter. This one is more to pass time to get the hiking trip where Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper, Alice, and Edward go missing. After that I have so much planned you would never believe it!**

**Christopher: You didn't put a return email so I couldn't write back to you. Anyway, yes, it is kind of like the Sixth Sense. I love that movie or the parts of it that I've seen.**

_A few days later_

_Bella POV_

Much to my relief, Emmett and Rosalie had a date tonight so he couldn't bring up my strange behavior.

_What am I supposed to tell him? _I questioned myself dismally. I was currently lying on my bed, staring at the spiraling gold design on the ceiling of my bedroom. The light blue of the walls contrasted nicely against the shimmering gold, making me smile slightly.

I heard my bedroom door creak open. "Bells?" Emmett's voice called. Quickly, I snapped my eyes shut and breathed deeply, pretending to be asleep.

I waited until the door had squeezed shut before opening them again. _I can't tell him I see dead people. _I decided finally. _He'll think I'm crazy and never talk to me again. Or he'll tell Daddy and then they'll put me in the wacky house. _

The door opened again.

"What Emmy?" I asked disgruntled.

A soft, velvety voice chuckled. "Would you like me to get him?"

"Eddie!" I crowed happily, sitting up to look at him. "Whatcha doin' here?"

"Babysitting you," he answered simply, coming to sit at the foot of my bed.

"Yay!" I squealed. But then I furrowed my brow in confusion, "I thought Alice was babysitting me."

"She and Jasper are busy," he said. A hurt look touched his eyes and his smile fell slightly. "Would you prefer Alice?"

"No," I said stubbornly. Edward ruffled my hair.

"I know, you like me better," he complimented himself, puffing out his chest and acting important.

"Yep," I concluded, popping the 'p' and smiling. Edward was the only one who didn't push the matter of my strange behavior when I didn't want to talk about it. He even told the others to leave me alone.

"Come on," he said, extending a hand to me. "My mom sent food with me. She said it's already warm so don't even try heating it up. She thinks I'll burn your house down."

I laughed lightly. "I'm hungry." I grabbed his hand and hopped off the bed, dragging him with me.

I was so eager to get to the food; I didn't see the stairs until the ground vanished from under me. I screamed loudly, my hand tightening around Edward's wrist as I fell, pulling him down with me. As we fell, Edward twisted, yanking me around him. He cradled me against his chest as we slammed into ground.

A woman screamed. I turned to lock gazes with bland, lifeless eyes. The back of my head hit the railing and I felt the warm blood seeping through my hair before the world went black.

"Get up," a woman's voice begged. "You're awake. Call 911." A cold breeze blew over my face.

Pain. My head throbbed.

I forced my eyes open.

_Where am I?_ I thought, bemusedly. I felt the hard wood floorboards under me.

"You have to call 911," the ghost that had screamed as I fell was standing over me. "Your head is bleeding and your friend, he's hurt. He's still unconscious. You have to call 911."

"Can't move," I choked out.

"You have to please," she begged. "Your friend will die if you don't. He's bleeding and so are you. You both will."

When I didn't move the ghost lunged at me. I flinched involuntarily, but she passed straight through me. A burst of cold air blew over me, refreshing me.

Numbly, I staggered to the kitchen, grabbing the phone before falling to the ground. My fingers stumbled blindly over the keys, punching in 911.

"911 what is your emergency?" a voice asked me.

"Help," I gasped, the world blurring around the edges. "Fell down… stairs… Edward… tried to save… he's unconscious… please help… blood everywhere."

"Bella?" the voice asked.

"Yes," I breathed, closing my eyes. I was so tired. And cold.

"Bella sweetie, stay on the phone," Becca, I finally recognized her. "Stay on the phone. Your father's out right now, I'm sending help. Are you at home?"

I could only moan. "Yeah."

"Sweetie don't fall asleep. Stay on the phone."

But I couldn't fight it. The flow of blood from my head, the rusty, salted scent was over powering. "Thank you," I mumbled to the lady ghost as she hovered over me again.

"Everything will be alright, child," her cold hand touched my cheek. "You will be alright and so will your friend. You've done well."

Her curly copper locks of hair tumbled around her face. Glittering emerald green eyes, no life in them, like an emerald in all ways, gazed intently at them.

_Edward's eyes, _I noted. _His eyes._

Her eyes were the last things I saw as the phone fell from my hand and the world went dark again.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

My eyes flicked open. My head felt hot and heavy.

"Bella?" Emmett rested a hand on my shoulder.

Slowly, I rotated my head to look at him. His eyes were tinted red around the brown pupils. It looked like he had been crying. His hair was a unruly curly mass around his head.

"Bella I was so worried about you," he sighed, relived. "When the hospital called saying you and Edward were brought in and to come as soon as possible, I was so worried. I…"

"Is Edward okay?" I asked, my voice hoarse and quiet.

"I don't know," Emmett ran a hand through his hair. "I sent Rose to go check on him a few…"

"Bella!" Rosalie cried. Her arms appeared around me as she sat on the side of my bed. "The hospital called Emmett and they said you had fallen down the stairs. We came as soon as we heard but they wouldn't let us see you and Edward for hours."

"How is he?" I asked again. _What had happened to Edward? Why wouldn't they tell me? Was the ghost lady wrong? She had said both of us would be fine._

Rosalie sighed a small smile touching her un-glossed pink lips.

_She's smiling. _I told myself. _She wouldn't be smiling if anything really happened to Eddie._

"He's stable sweetie. He's sleeping right now. The doctors say he'll be all right. That was quite a fall he took. What happened?"

I looked away, immense guilt welling up inside of me. "I was hungry and so we, well I, wanted to go down stairs. I was pulling him and I didn't see the stairs." A huge tear rolled down my cheek. A sob tore from my chest. "I… I fell… and I pulled him down… with me… he turned me… over so he… he hit the stairs… first… I woke up and… there was blood… everywhere… I… called 911 and don't remember… don't remember anything." I rolled over, pressing my face tightly into the pillow, not wanting them to see my tears.

Rosalie's hand stroked my hair. "Sweetie, Bells, it wasn't your fault. It was no one's fault. You fell. Everyone falls."

"But have you ever fallen down stairs? Did you ever drag Edward down the stairs?" I wailed.

"Well… No. I've never fallen down stairs or dragged Edward but honey," she touched my forehead gently, sweeping the loose wisps of hair away. "We all make mistakes."

I turned away grumbling, "Usually mistakes can't kill people."

We stayed like that for a while, Rose's arms around me, me sulking into my pillow, and Emmett with his head in one hand.

"Can I go see him, Rosie?" I asked quietly, using her favorite nickname.

"You need to rest," Emmett said firmly. "You stay here."

My lower lip trembled and my big brown puppy dog eyes grew wide. "Please?"

Rose cracked. "Emmett the doctors said she _is _fine, just asleep. You can carry her and it will be like she never even left her own room." Her neatly manicured hand reached over me and rested on Emmett's arm. "She'll be all right."

Emmett sighed and made his fatal error. He locked gazes with Rosalie, her sapphire blue eyes filled with love and concern.

"Fine," he said at last.

I couldn't stop the grin that spread across my face. "Let's go."

Emmett scooped me up and grumbling the whole way, led Rose to the door. The hallway outside was quiet. There was no one outside.

Rose then took the lead, taking Emmett's free hand pulling us down to the last door. She opened it and ushered us inside.

My gaze swept around the room finding Alice first. She was curled in ball in a chair at the head of Edward's bed. Jasper stood behind her, massaging her shoulders gently. At the sound of the door opening they both looked up.

"Bella!" Alice sighed, relieved. Then she glared at Emmett. "You promised to tell me when she woke up!" She stood, shrugging off Jasper's hand on her shoulder. She strode up to Emmett and promptly, slapped him.

"Nice to see you too, Alice," Emmett said sarcastically. He brushed past her and set me on the foot of Edward's bed.

I crawled forward and sat cross legged in front of him. I extended a finger to touch him. My finger was inch above his face when it happened. The monitor that had been going beep, beep, beep at a steady pace began going haywire than a long loud BEEEEEEEEEEEEP filled the room.

**Don't worry. I love Edward. He won't DIE, die but this had to happen and you'll see why.**

**I'll update soon. Maybe later this evening. I just had to leave this off right there for many reasons. I'm asking for six reviews. Not too many.**

**I started another story. Please go check that out too. I'm giving it a week to get reviews, alerts or favorites. I want at least ten before I decide to continue it.**

**Summary: This takes place during Edward's rebellious time. Edward is a standoffish, depressed, human hunting vampire in the early 21****st**** century. He abandoned the rest of the Cullens in favor of the usual vampire diet. What happens when he meets the human Isabella Marie Swan, celebrity and politician's daughter, who inspires him to rise above the hand they are dealt? **

**Thanks and Love to you all**

**Sea of Topaz**


	5. Chapter 5

_Bella POV_

Alice and Rosalie screamed, Jasper gasped and I looked up to Emmy. _What's happening?_ I was about to ask when Emmett hooked his arm around my waist lifting me from the bed. He pulled me back and retreated from the bed as quickly as he could.

Three doctors ran in, the first one yelling to the other.

"Emmy what's wrong?" I asked, looking up at him. His jaw was set and his eyes clouded with worry.

"It's nothing Bells," he murmured, tucking my head under his chin so I couldn't see anything.

"Clear!" one of the doctors yelled.

A loud zapping noise made me jump.

"Clear!" he yelled again.

Another zap.

Alice was sobbing into Jasper's shirt. Rose had fallen to the ground, her face buried in her knees, tears flowing down her cheeks.

"Clear!" Zap.

Finally silence broken only by the loud beep.

"I'm so sorry," I heard the doctor whisper brokenly. He sounded like he was crying. I turned to look at him and sure enough there was a wet trail of tears on his face.

"Emmy what…" I began to ask again when I saw him.

Edward, or the ghost of Edward was standing next to bed, gazing down at the lifeless form of him.

Transfixed I slid from Emmett's arms, dodging him easily when he attempted to snatch me up again. I walked with out falling to stand between the ghost Edward and the real one.

"Eddie?" I asked, looking from the ghost to his body.

The ghost Edward's head snapped up to look at me. "Bella?" he choked. "You… you can see me?"

I nodded.

"Bella this isn't a time for games," Emmett said solemnly reaching for my hand. I skipped out of reach looking at the ghost Edward again.

"I don't understand…" the ghost continued. "I don't remember… Am I dead?"

I nodded again, a salty tear rolling down my rosy cheek.

His ghostly hand touched my cheek. "Don't cry please Bella. I guess this is how it's supposed to be. Everything will be alright."

"Dear you can save him," another voice added. I spun wildly to see the ghost that had saved Eddie and me after the fall down the stairs. "There is still a way to save him. Quick before it's too late. You must remember. Think. Remember the things that are not yours."

"Remember the things that are not yours," I murmured to myself.

"What?" Emmett asked.

"Remember the things that are not yours," I repeated. _When had I heard that before?_

I squeezed my eyes shut tight. "Remember the things that are not yours." A flicker of memory, a loose tendril of thought washed through me. My eyes snapped open.

"I saw something," I said looking up to the beautiful green-eyed ghost.

"Very good dear," she said. "Now try to think of it again. And this time concentrate as hard as you can."

"Bella stop it now!" Emmett ordered his voice shaking.

I ignored him. "Remember the things that are not yours." There it was again. That spiraling memory.

"Take his hand," a man in a long robe was saying. "Take his hand and take the ghosts hand."

I did as he said, taking Edward's still warm human hand in my own with my other hand reaching up to take Edward's ghost hand.

"Now concentrate," the man said. "Concentrate on him and him alone. His face, his voice, his scent, his laugh. Let the thoughts flow through you. Channel all of your energy into these thoughts."

I focused hard. The image of Edward, lying in the sun at First Beach, his head thrown back in laughter. Then at the park. Edward ran up from behind me, scooping me up and tossing me onto his shoulders. The scent of his hair. The sweet scent of his hair, his breath, his skin. All of it was over whelming. Image after image of Edward flipped through my mind, eventually blurring together to that one memory of the six of us at First Beach.

A huge gust of cold air exploded through the room. The door slammed open, the windows crackling and breaking. Shards of glass flew everywhere, splintering against the table and walls, bouncing off the floor.

I gasped, feeling the cold rush of air blow through me from the hand that held Edward's ghost hand to his human hand. My body felt cold, like ice. I shuddered and my limbs began to tremble violently.

The howling wind continued blowing through the room.

"Bella!" I heard more than one voice call my name but I blocked them all out, concentrating hard on my strongest memory of Edward.

Then, it was still, and not a sound could be heard. I didn't look up, my mind still single-mindedly bringing me everything of Edward.

Flames erupted in my body and I screamed, collapsing against the bed at the same time that the room exploded in a flash of white light.

"Call him back," the old man's voice whispered. "Call his name."

"Edward!" I called. "Edward!"

The white light slowly began to fade.

I slumped to the ground, feeling the cold tile underneath me. "Edward," I whispered one more time. "Please, Edward."

With all the energy I had left, I looked up to meet green eyes. Sparkling, glittering, and very much alive emerald green eyes. Edward's eyes.

"Bella? How did you? Edward?" Emmett asked, astonished.

Edward scrutinized me carefully. "Bella?"

A wave of dizziness rippled through me and the room spun, turning to black. The last thing I remember were someone's hands catching me and the quiet buzz of voices in the back round.

"Wake up Bella," Edward's voice called me gently. "It's time to wake up."

I groaned and rolled over. "Go away," I grumbled.

He chuckled.

Then all the memories from the previous day came flooding back to me. I sat bolt up right with a gasp. I was sitting on my bed, fresh air from the open window bringing the scent of orange blossoms with it.

"Nice to be among the living again isn't it?" he asked, eyeing me slightly.

"How much do you remember?" I said nervously.

"Of being dead? All of it. Including my grandmother. Who was the old guy?" he answered. "You probably think I'm crazy too."

When I looked up at him bemusedly, he shrugged. "For saying you can speak to ghosts."

"Why would I say you're crazy?" I inquired curiously.

"Because everyone else does," Emmett said gruffly from behind him.

I turned my gaze on him. "Why do you think he's crazy?"

"Come on Bells, you can't see ghosts. Something went wrong in his brain and we're trying to figure out what it is. In the time being, we're supposed to treat him like nothings different," Jasper sighed, ruffling his hair with one hand.

"But nothings wrong with him," I said slowly. "I _can _see ghosts."

"Oh not her too," Alice groaned. "Now we have to phsycopaths on our hands. We can't send her back to Pheonix like this."

Emmett was looking at me curiously. "She isn't a very good liar," he said suddenly.

"People improve with time," Rose said pointedly.

"Not Bella," he continued, a small smile creeping onto his face. "From the day she started talking I could tell when she was lying and when she wasn't. Bella, why wouldn't you get in the elevator?"

"Dead lady," I mumbled. "White dress."

He whipped out his cell phone and began punching things in quicker than lightning. "Here," he yelled excitedly. "Margaret VanBellsing dies in freak hotel elevator accident. Hotel later expanded and changed to the Port Angelas airport. What about the car?"

"Man in the trees," I answered. "Black raincoat."

Again he typed in something. "Men hiking in Hoe Forest vanish and are never seen again. Then in the hospital. You saw Edward's ghost! But how'd you get him back together again? You know like Humpty Dumpty. Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall…"

"We all know the riddle Em," Edward cut across him, turning to me. "How _did _you do that? The old man was standing next to you but I couldn't hear what he was saying to you."

"He… he told me to take one of each of your hands. He said to think of you and everything I knew about you then he told me to call your name," my response was quick and short. I stared at my feet under the blanket the entire time.

"Well thanks," Edward said bluntly. "Dying felt really, really weird."

We all laughed at that.

"Why didn't you tell us before?" Jasper asked.

I shrugged. "I didn't want you all to think I was crazy."

"Don't worry Bells," Emmett said, through an arm around my shoulders. "We already think your crazy."

**Yay!! Eddie didn't die!**

**Now that we've gotten through that, the actual story can start! **

**Please review. I won't tell you how many reviews I want because then you all just have to review. If you don't, there's no telling how long it will take for an update.**

**Please go look at my other stories. Promise Me Something is going to be continued.**

**Thanks**

**Sea of Topaz**


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry it took forever to update. **

**I updated my other story Audra Isabella Potter/I'm Scared three times. I know that doesn't seem fair but that was and still is my top priority. It was my first story so I will be updating that more than any of my other stories. That doesn't mean I'm dropping my other two stories. I will keep updating them. But until Audra Isabella Potter/I'm Scared is finished that will be updated most often. When I update my other stories I'll try my best to make them long.**

**I'm changing the title of this story. I know I shouldn't but I have a much better title that will relate to later chapters of this story. I'm changing it to Black Dahlia. You'll see why later. Well in the next chapter.**

**Here are all the ages in this chapter.**

**Bella – 7**

**Edward – 17**

**Emmett – 20**

**Rosalie – 19**

**Jasper – 19**

**Alice – 17**

**Here are the relationships. Usually I would work this into the story but I don't think you need a whole other chapter for this and this story really needs to get moving.**

**Edward and Alice Masen are twins**

**Rosalie and Jasper Hale are twins**

**Emmett is 13 years older than Bella**

**Here is how they all became friends. **

**Emmett played football and soccer on the Forks teams with Edward and Jasper. **

**Emmett met Rosalie when she came to support Jasper in games. They started dating. **

**Jasper met Alice when she came to cheer for Edward in games. Then they started dating. **

**Emmett made a really big deal whenever Bella came to visit and he brought her to practices and games for Rosalie and Alice to watch while he played.**

**

* * *

**

_Bella POV_

"Mommy I'm back," I called, dropping my school bag at the door. "Mom?"

I followed the soft sobbing up the stairs to the dining room. My mom was sitting in one of the dark wood dining chairs, slumped over the table, crying profusely. Her shoulders shook with every new round of tears and her hair was a tangled mess about her head.

"Mommy what's wrong?" I asked, pushing myself onto the chair next to her. I took her hand gently stroking it softly. Her usually glittering blue eyes were red and puffy; her tears stained cheeks were stained with red blotches.

"Honey…" she gasped, tucking a lock of hair behind my ear. "Honey, I have to tell you something… It's… It's about your brother."

At her words, my blood ran cold. My breath caught in my throat as millions of possibilities ran through my mind.

"Emmy?" my voice quivered as I spoke. "What happened to him?"

Mom wiped her face on the back of her hand then rang her hand on the hem of her light green shirt before answering my question. She diverted her gaze as she spoke, seeming unable to look me in the eyes. "You know how your brother liked to go camping with his friends a lot right?"

I nodded, slowly; still unsure of what she was trying to say. "Yeah, he told me two days ago he was going camping with Eddie and Jasper and Alice and Rosie. He promised he would be back today and he would call as soon as he got home."

Another sob broke from her chest and a fresh wave of tears rolled down her cheeks. "He isn't coming home Bella!" she sobbed. "They all went missing! Rangers found their camp torn apart and blood everywhere! They said it was a bear that killed them all."

I just stared blankly at her for a full minute. The only sounds were my mother's sobs and the ticking of the clock on the mantelpiece.

Finally I found my voice. "No," I breathed, unbelieving. "No that isn't… Emmy didn't… He couldn't." I couldn't find the words to finish my sentence. My brain couldn't function. I couldn't think.

The room around us was spinning and the floor beneath my feet was rolling like waves.

"No!" I shouted suddenly. My eyes stung with hot salty tears and my face burned as I yanked my arm from her grasp.

"Bella, honey," my mom began, reaching for me.

"No!" I screamed again. "You're lying to me! Emmy promised he would come home! He promised! Emmy doesn't lie! He never lies to me! He won't leave me!" I took a step back from her, tears flowing down my cheeks. Without waiting to hear what words she would say next, I fled. I ran through the house, throwing my bedroom door open. Storming through it, I slammed the door shut and let out a wail.

My mind couldn't process her statement. _Emmy? Gone? _My thoughts refused to form coherent sentences long enough for me to understand them.

I collapsed, sobbing onto my bed, calling for Emmy over and over. Slowly I pulled myself under the covers, dragging them over my head as I cried.

Finally sleep overtook me, but it was not a peaceful rest. Over and over my mind played images of me and Emmy. Him lifting me and spinning me around, giving me a big hug and promising everything would be okay. Him sitting next to me just the two of us, laughing, not a care in the world. As my thoughts went on, they became darker and darker. The day Eddie almost died.

"Eddie!" I gasped, sitting bolt upright in bed. I threw myself back down, renewed sobs shaking my small frame. "Edward."

* * *

_Forks_

_Charlie's House_

_Three Months Later_

I pulled my black dress over my head, allowing the soft silk to flow over my skin. The cold fabric would have felt good against my body, but it didn't. I couldn't feel pleasure, I couldn't feel happy. I couldn't feel anything. I was numb. Cold. With Emmett and Edward and Jasper and Rosalie and Alice I felt like I had died.

My cold fingers stumbled blindly with the coal black ribbon sash around my waist, finally tying it in a drooping bow.

I stared at my reflection in the mirror, looking but not really seeing anything. Movies of my time with them played over and over again in my minds eye, pulling me from reality.

A picture of us all was taped to the top of my mirror. I touched it gently, tracing their faces as I thought. I was four at First Beach surrounded by all of them. Edward was crouching on the ground, me sitting on his knee. Alice stood with Jasper's arms around her shoulders on our left. Emmett was standing behind the two of us his arm around Rosalie's waist, laughing at my expression. My lips were puckered in a pout as I glared at the camera. My hair was dripping and my clothes were wet and plastered to my body.

I could recall that day as if it were yesterday. Emmett carried me on his back through the forest to look at the tide pools, all of his friends following us. I had been sitting on a rock, watching them all leap over the pools of salt water. I had slid from the rock and fallen into the tide pool in front of me. Edward had been the closest to me and it was his arms that plucked me from the water. Alice had insisted on a picture and asked a passing tourist to take a picture.

I almost smiled at the memory. Almost. But it was as if my muscles didn't know how to. My face couldn't remember how to smile.

My eyes stung as I continued to look at them.

_I'll never see them again. _I realized miserably. _Emmy will never laugh or pull pranks on me. Eddie will never hold me and tell me everything would be okay again. Jazzy will never be there to act responsible and keep us all out of trouble. Ali would never nag and beg me to go shopping with her. And Rosie. She'll never hold me or sing me to sleep or read me stories again. They're all gone._

A soft sob tore from my chest as I lurched from my room. I tripped and stumbled down the hall until I reached Emmett's room. The door swung open silently and I staggered through.

Everything was the same as he had left it. The drawers were open, clothes spilling out and his football jersey was draped over the back of his desk chair. His soccer jersey was on the floor covering his dirty, mud caked cleats.

I fell onto his unmade bed, allowing my tears to flow freely. I gasped in the scent of his cologne, wrapping my arms around his pillow and squeezing it tightly to my chest.

My mother knocked lightly on the door. "Bella honey," she called hoarsely. "It's time to go."

I just turned my head away still crying. "Emmy," I breathed. "Emmy's gone."

"Oh, Bella," she sighed. Her hand rubbed my back gently. "I know sweetie. I love him too. But he would want us to be strong. He wouldn't want you to cry. You know how it made him so sad to see you cry."

"But he won't see me cry. He isn't here. He… He… He," I sobbed.

"I know sweetie but his spirit is out there, watching over you," she whispered. "Your big brother will always be looking over you."

_His ghost! _I thought suddenly. _His and Eddie's ghosts! And Rosie and Alice and Jazzy!_

I threw my arms around my mom.

"I miss him," I gasped, trying to get my breath back. "I miss all of them."

"I miss them to Bella," she comforted me. "Come on. Phil and your father are waiting outside."

I nodded, sliding from the bed. I took her hand as she led me down the stairs and out the door.

* * *

_After the Funeral_

_At the Cemetery_

Everyone began filing away, out through the gate. But I stayed, moving away from the gate and my parents. I walked as steadily as I could to stand at the marking for the five of them.

_Declared missing October 14, 1997._

_Edward Anthony Masen_

_Emmett McCarty Swan_

_Jasper Whitlock Hale_

_Mary Alice Masen_

_Rosalie Lillian Hale_

I touched the headstone with one hand. "Emmy?" I asked quietly. "Eddie? Rose? Ali? Jazzy?" I waited, praying with all my might that their ghosts would hear me and come. No response.

I called again and again, tears beginning to fall from my brown eyes.

"Bells, it's time to go," Charlie said quietly, resting a hand on my shoulder.

"They're gone daddy," I whispered. "I can't find them."

"I know Bellsy," he soothed. "I know."

The car ride back was silent, only the hum of the engine could be heard.

I had my door open before the car was parked. I ran inside, slamming my bedroom door open. I stared at the picture again.

Anger boiled through me. My head pounded as if I had run for miles without stopping. I screamed furiously, tearing the photo down and ripping it in half. I dropped it storming down the hall into Emmett's room. I grabbed at a handful of the clothes spilling out of the top drawer, throwing it across the room. I screamed again, tears pouring down my cheeks. My fist closed over his pillow, chucking it at the door.

"You promised!" I shrieked. "You promised you would never leave me!"

All of Emmett's old possessions continued flying through his room until I finally broke down sobbing. My knees buckled under me and I slid to the floor. "Why did you leave me?" I gasped, burying my face in his comforter. "Why? Why, Emmy?"

* * *

_Emmett POV_

_Three Months Prior_

Slowly I felt the fire ebbing from my limbs. I felt good, as if the previous bear attack had never happened.

"The bear!" I recalled. _It attacked us. _"Rose!" I gasped, horrified.

I leapt from the bed I had been lying on and threw the door open. I didn't register how quickly I had gone, nor that the door cracked against the wall. All I could think of was my Rose. Had she been hurt? Was she all right? Was she here, wherever here was?

I took the stairs heading down two at a time. "Rose?" I called. "Rose?"

"Emmett?" her voice echoed through the house, coming from down the hall. I raced after her, entering a spacious living room.

There stood Rose, but she was different. Her skin was deathly pale; her golden blonde hair had more body to it. Her beautiful body was curvier, cloaked in a white Grecian

"Emmett!" she cried. I turned my gaze upon her face. Her cheekbones were more prominent, balanced by her bright red lips. But her eyes. Her eyes were a bright blood red.

None of that mattered as she threw herself at me, wrapping her arms around my neck. I wrapped my arms around her waist, holding her tight to me. She pressed her lips against mine breathed deeply, inhaling her mouthwateringly amazing scent. It was sweet, like orange blossoms.

"I was so worried about you," I whispered into her hair. "I saw the bear and I saw it attack you. I thought we were all going to die. What happened?"

"I can answer that," a voice behind me answered.

I spun wildly, pushing Rose behind my back. "Who are you?" I asked sharply.

A man maybe in his mid twenties stood facing us, both hands up as if facing police. His pale blonde hair was brushed neatly and his gold eyes observed the two of with interest.

A woman, a head shorter than the man, suddenly appeared at his side. Her caramel colored curls cascaded down her back as she wrapped one arm around the man's waist, leaning her head against his chest. She too had soft gold eyes, framed on a beautiful face.

"My name is Carlisle Cullen," the man said, extending one hand, a smile softening his snow pale face. "This is my wife Esme."

Hesitantly I shook his hand. "I'm Emmett Swan. This is my girlfriend Rosalie. What happened? What are you?"

Carlisle chuckled lightly. "The correct question would be what are we. I think we should wait for the rest of your friends before we discuss that. I think it best to tell all of you at the same time."

"Jasper!" my Rose shrieked, suddenly remembering her twin. "Where is he? Where's my brother?"

"He's on the second floor in the third room on the right," the woman, Esme, answered. There was a motherly heir about her, emanating from every aspect of her, even her voice. "He was the first to wake up and he insisted on seeing Alice."

Rose took my hand and practically dragged me up the stairs and to the third door.

"It's almost over Alice," we heard Jasper whisper. "I know it hurts love. I know. But trust me. It'll end soon. It'll all be okay soon."

"Jasper?" Rose murmured softly, pushing the door a jar.

As soon as I laid eyes upon him, I felt tensed, worried.

"Rose," he breathed, relief flooding his voice. I took a step into the room, staying behind Rose this time. I felt myself relax slightly.

Rose drifted around the bed, giving her brother a one armed hug, my arm still around her waist.

"It hasn't ended for her?" I questioned, gesturing to Alice. She writhed in the bed, twisting and turning. Occasionally a soft whimper escaped her lips. With every whimper, another pain pricked me. It made me confused, and I furrowed my brow, attempting to figure it out.

"Why are you confused?" Jasper inquired slowly, never taking his eyes from Alice.

"How did you? How could you…" my voice trailed off, stunned.

"I don't understand it either," he sighed. "But why are you confused?"

"My emotions keep changing. The second I saw you I tensed up. I felt worried. Then when you saw Rose, I felt relieved."

"Jasper can control emotions," Carlisle said from the doorway. "It's his gift."

"His gift?" Rose asked. "Like a power?"

"Yes, something like that," he answered.

"Does everyone have a gift then?" I asked.

"There again is something I think we should discuss as a group," he repeated.

"No!" I yelled, angrily. "No! I think it's time we get some answers. We don't even know what the hell we are! You give us cryptic hints then say you'll tell us later!"

"Emmett, calm down," Edward's voice snapped.

"No! I won't calm down until I get some answers!" I growled.

"Emmett!" Rose chastised. She caught my face in her hand, forcing me to look into her eyes. "Edward is right. You need to calm down."

I breathed deeply, once, twice, three times before allowing the calm to overwhelm me.

_She's right_. I realized. _ I shouldn't have yelled like that._

"You're whipped man," Edward snorted, appearing at the head of Alice's bed.

"What?" I asked, confused.

"She tells you to calm down and you have this whole revelation," he chuckled. Then in a horrible imitation of my voice he continued, "She's right. I shouldn't have yelled like that."

"Edward, he didn't say that," Rose defended me.

"Yeah, I didn't say that, but I thought that," I agreed.

We all turned to look at Carlisle. "Edward's gift," he said simply, as if it should have been obvious. "He can read minds."

"Awesome!" Edward crowed.

"Shut up," Alice snapped. Her small pale white hand flashed out and slapped his arm. "Carlisle what are we?" she asked flatly. Her arm wound around Jasper's neck, his around her waist, helping her up.

"Do you believe in vampires?" was his ingenious answer.

I snorted. "No."

"Well you best start believing," Esme said, taking Carlisle's hand. "You are one."

"Yeah right," Rose giggled. "Really this time. Please."

"You are vampires," Carlisle insisted. "We have no pulse."

My hand immediately went to my wrist. Sure enough, I felt nothing.

"Our skin is pale white, and ice cold. Look at each other. Your eyes are red. You have heightened senses as well. You can hear things humans can't; you can see in the dark. You can smell the scent of each other and the scents of blood."

I gazed at Rose, staring into her blood red eyes. All around us, our friends were doing the same. All except Edward.

"Do you not believe us now?" Esme questioned.

"I never doubted anything from the beginning," Edward said lazily, twiddling his thumbs bored, without a care in the world. "You weren't lying with your thoughts."

"Does your throat burn?" Carlisle queried.

We all nodded, feeling the dry ache in our throats.

"It means you need to hunt," he answered our unasked questions. "You need blood."

"You mean like, hunt and kill?" Rose asked quietly.

"My wife and I hunt only animals," Carlisle conceded. "We can teach you all our lifestyle if you wish it, but only if so. We will not force any of you to follow our diet if you are unwilling."

"I'm in," Edward said lightly, shrugging off the bed to stand next to Carlisle.

"Me too," Alice and Rose said simultaneously.

"I don't want to kill anyone," Jasper agreed.

"Me neither," I added.

"Perfect!" Esme cheered, clapping her hands together.

"Hunting 101 starts now," I said chuckling.

"We'll have to stay out in the forest for a year," Carlisle warned. "Being newborns, your thirst is harder to quench and your control is limited. Also, and this I apologize greatly for, but you cannot connect with anyone from your human lives."

"What?" I yelled.

"I apologize but being what we are, it's too dangerous. Once a vampire, you are frozen in time, forever the age you were changed at. It would be too suspicious if you were to continue a relationship. For their own safety, we cannot make connections with any humans."

"I have to!" I roared furiously, throwing a fist at the wall. My hand went straight through the wood, making a hole in it. "You don't understand! I have a little sister. She needs me. You can't just tell me I can see her again."

"Please," Rose begged. "Bella needs us. With her power now more than ever. The ghosts scare her."

Carlisle's brow furrowed in confusion. "What power?"

"Bella sees ghosts," it was Edward that begged this time. I had never in all the years of knowing Edward, seen such pain in his eyes. "Please, we need to see her."

He shook his head. "It's for her own safety that you stay away from her. The rangers pronounced you all dead by bear attack and missing. It's better for her if it stays that way."

* * *

**How was it? Please review. I've been short on reviews lately and it's making me sad.**

**I have so many surprises in store for this story. There'll be little twists and turns all throughout. **

**Love ya all,**

**Sea of Topaz**


	7. Author's Note

**I know I promised never to discontinue a story so this is me keeping that promise. I know I deleted about four chapters but I have a reason. I had completely lost what I was going to do with this story. My computer crashed three times over and I lost a lot of stuff, including my outline of this story. I meant to redo it but then I had a new idea and I lost interest in the old one. I will keep going with this story but it's going to change.**

**I'm sorry to those of you who don't like what I've done and what I'm about to do, but this is my story and I can do what I please with it.**

**The next chapter will be up soon; I promise.**

**Love **

**Sea**


	8. Chapter 7

**Hey so here's the next chapter. **

**A lot of you wanted an age skip and I apologize. Bella needs an identity outside of the Cullens. She needs a life. There will be a few years in between but I won't take too much time because I want to get the Cullens back in too.**

_Previously_

_Emmett's POV_

"_Please," Rose begged. "Bella needs us. With her power now more than ever. The ghosts scare her."_

_Carlisle's brow furrowed in confusion. "What power?"_

"_Bella sees ghosts," it was Edward that begged this time. I had never in all the years of knowing Edward, seen such pain in his eyes. "Please, we need to see her."_

_He shook his head. "It's for her own safety that you stay away from her. The rangers pronounced you all dead by bear attack and missing. It's better for her if it stays that way."_

_Bella POV_

_Two Months Later_

I trudged dismally down the hallway, dragging my white knit Uggs against the tiled floor, listening to the soft squeaking noise they made. On either side of me people passed, chattering excitedly, laughing and joking maniacally about the presentation we had just watched. Something about internet safety. I hadn't paid any attention. It was unimportant. None of it mattered any more.

The only thing that mattered was my pain. My pain of loss.

My brother, my best friend, my protector. Emmy had been everything in my life. He cared for me when I was a baby. He rocked me to sleep when I cried. He fed me when I was hungry. Even as we grew older, we were first priority. I would call him every night and we would just talk.

Most little children talk to their parents when they're scared. I talked to Emmy. Most little children crawl into bed with their parents when they have a bad dream. I would bring my teddy bear he had given me when I was little and I would crawl in next to him. He would hold me tight and whisper to me how everything would be alright. How everything was going to get better. How everything would work out in the end.

Emmy was like my other half. He always knew how to make me feel better. But now I had no one. Emmy was gone. Everything was gone.

I grabbed my lunch box and sat down at one of the tables with a silent sigh. I poked my sandwich with a detached heir.

_Emmy always made good food for me. _I thought mournfully, allowing a solitary tear to roll down my cheek, leaving a wet salty trail behind. But I wouldn't cry. I couldn't cry. I had no tears left in me. I had already cried them all away.

"Dear it will be okay," Theodora Masen soothed me. Her ghostly hand smoothed my hair gently. Her dead green eyes were sad. "I know it's hard. I lost my Robert when we were young. I thought I would die. I wanted to die. I had nothing left to live for. But I had so much to live for. There were so many people that loved me and I couldn't leave them all behind. But things will get better. Things got better for me and I know they will for you too. Trust me."

"Thanks Thea," I whispered to Edward's grandmother.

After she had saved Edward and I from that fateful fall down the staircase, she had become like my guardian angel. She was there for me all the time. She told me stories at night. She sang in her beautiful, ghostly voice when I cried. When people teased me about cruel things like loosing Emmy, she _caused_ things to happen.

Once a bully in fifth grade had teased me about Emmy. Thea had protected me. She _caused_ a rock to fly across the room and hit him, hard.

Another time one of the fourth grade bullies pulled my braid and hissed that I was such an awful sister Emmy had killed himself. Thea had been furious with him. She did a great many things to him. During a flag ceremony, a good-sized tree fell, nearly crushing him. Of course it didn't but it scared the crap out of him. Then she _caused_ a pack of dogs to chase him. He had returned to school with his clothes in tatters. Cuts and scratches marred his face and arms.

It had been the closest I had ever come to laughing or even smiling since I lost Emmy. But I couldn't laugh. Because when I opened my mouth to, his words came back to me. _Was I a bad sister? Was I the reason Emmy had died? Maybe he was right. Maybe Emmy did hate me._

"I miss him so much Thea," I murmured. In my fingers I traced the lines of a picture. It had been taken when our family was whole. When there were no problems. When everything was so perfect. When Mommy and Daddy loved each other. Emmy was holding me. He was perched on Daddy's leg smiling so widely it looked as if his face might crack. Daddy's free arm was around Mommy's waist. She was smiling happily at the camera, her head leaning against Daddy's shoulder.

I shifted my arm slightly. My elbow hit my open water bottle, knocking it off the table. It fell to the ground.

A hand, pale as snow, flashed out to catch it. Eyes, so dark they looked red, gazed at me, a small, sad smile in them.

"You must be Bella Swan," he said, handing me my water bottle. None of the water had splashed out, net even a drop.

I nodded, flicking my eyes down to trace the lines of the picture again.

"I'm Peter," he continued, pretending, for my sake, that I was normal, that I was alive. "I'm the guest speaker at your safety seminar this afternoon."

I nodded again, at a loss for what to say. No one really spoke to me anymore, not even Renee.

"Why are you talking to me?" I rasped, finally deciding to look at him.

"I'd like to think everyone wants a friend and it seems to me you need one," he smiled kindly at me. "What are you looking at?"

Hesitantly, I held the picture out for him to see. "It's… my… my brother," I stuttered over the words, feeling the tears sting at the back of my eyes as I did.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," he sighed, handing the picture back.

"That's what they all say," I murmured, curling into a tight little ball on my seat. "None of them really mean it. They don't care." The cold I had been accustomed to over the past few months seemed harder than ever, colder than ever. I was alone. I was so alone. I had no one. I lost everyone when I lost my family. I lost the closest thing to a father I had when I lost Emmett, I lost my mom in the truest sense when I lost Rose, I lost a perky, happy sister and a calm level-headed brother when I lost Alice and Jasper. But when I lost Edward, I lost my best friend, my closest ally in this harsh world.

"I do," Peter said gently, leaning down so he was the same height as me. The kindness in his voice was so sincere, I gazed straight into his liquid eyes. "I know how much it hurts to loose what means the most to you… But there is always salvation. I've done so much wrong. I lost my humanity. " He dropped his face into his hands, his shoulders shaking the slightest of bits.

He was so over-raught with distress, I couldn't help but take one of his hands, so much larger than mine. "We're both in the same boat then aren't we?"

He looked at me, confused. "I know what you did after that. I can see it," I sighed sadly, almost tiredly. It was tiring, seeing so much of people. I didn't want to see their most prominent moments of life, but it was what happened to me. Every time I took someone's hand, I could see it all.

"I know what you are too," I continued. It didn't surprise me. If something as against nature as I could exist in secret, why not others?

"And I you, so I guess your knowledge shouldn't surprise me," Peter acknowledged.

_After School_

"So what's it like?" I questioned quietly, both of my arms extended on either side of me. I placed one foot gently in front of the other, walking lightly along the short wall of the fountain. "Wanting blood all the time, I mean."

Peter walked beside me, gazing down at his feet. "It's… hard. It's always there. It would be like you going for long periods of time with no sleep. You always want it and you want it really badly. Sometimes it hurts you want to feed so badly."

"Do you want to kill me?" I asked almost solemnly. I wasn't frightened, or even angry. It would not be Peter's fault if he wanted to drain my blood. It was part of his nature and he couldn't help it, the same way I couldn't help but invade people's most precious memories, or speak to ghosts.

"Like I said, it's always there, but Charlotte, my wife, and I, we don't do that. We try not to take good people. Only those who deserve it."

"The bad guys," I added, trying to understand.

"Something like that," he smiled mournfully at me, as if willing me to believe that he wasn't a bad person.

"Won't your parents wonder where you are?" he asked suddenly, gazing at the sun, drooping in the sky overhead. "It's nearly time for dinner." He smiled slightly at his small joke.

I grinned a little, my first real sign of emotion since Emmett died. It was a slightly bitter look though. "My parents are divorced. I live with my mom and her husband. He works late and my mom, well she's… scatter-brained. She probably doesn't even realize I'm not home yet."

Peter shook his head, his blonde curls bouncing as he did. "That's not very safe. What if something happened to you?"

I shrugged. "My brother already died, what's one more kid?"

He shook his head again. "Children, anyone, is sacred. She should care more."

"Renee loves me, she just loves her life and doesn't know what to do with me," I lifted my shoulders against the wind. I felt no sadness, not even pain mentioning my mother's free-spiritedness. "She fell apart when my brother was…" I cleared my throat carefully before continuing. "Gone."

"For a while I had my brother. He always took care of me," I forced a pained smile. I wished beyond anything he was still here. I wish he would pick me up from school, swing me around, take me home, and make me dinner and then I could go play with Eddie.

"Who takes care of you?" Peter asked worriedly. His eyes narrowed infinitesimally, his mouth set in a disapproving line.

"I do," I looked up at him, curious. "Who else do I need?"

"What if you were sick or hurt?"

"I would make my food and go back to bed. I have to go now," I sighed, checking my watch. It read 4:30. "I have to finish my homework and I haven't gotten anything for dinner yet."

"Good luck Bella," Peter smiled warmly, though his eyes still seemed troubled.

"Thanks." I stepped lightly off the fountain, giving Peter one last smile before beginning my walk home.

_Three Days Later_

_Peter POV_

"Lottie, love," I called barely above a whisper. Charlotte materialized at my shoulder in less than a second, her eyes, black as pitch, gazing at me lovingly. I longed to touch her thick, curly red hair bouncing around her waist, to feel the silky smoothness of it.

Lottie had met Bella the day after I had and she had taken an immediate liking to her, as had I. But Lottie worried for Bella as well. She had such a burden to carry, with her power, her gift and her curse, looming over her, dragging down and stealing away her childhood innocence. Bella was matured well beyond her years, having to hold all of the ghosts haunting people, in their minds and the real ghosts around them. But that wasn't the entirety of it. She was alone in the greater sense of the word. She was surrounded by people but she was alone. She had no one to cradle her, no one to hold her, no one to cook for her, or care for her. She lived alone.

"You're worrying about Bella aren't you?" Lottie inquired gently. Her look was understanding and sympathetic.

I grimaced at her angelic face, nodding.

"I'm sure nothing will happen to her at this hour," Lottie said comfortingly, gesturing to the clock. It was nearly eleven o'clock.

"We should hunt." My fingers brushed, as light as feathers, at the bags gathering under her eyes. "You're right. She should be fine for now." I took her hand, feeling the glossy softness of her skin against my palm.

We ran in silence, enjoying each other's company without words. Charlotte and I were not a couple that expressed our love for each other through noise, rather emotions so strong it was tangible. Just a gentle touch, a whispered word, a loving embrace, it was enough.

Charlotte waved a hand to a man, running down the street. Charlotte had long since been good at reading people, at knowing the good and bad in them. Clearly this one was the latter.

She took him down without making a sound, breaking his neck swiftly. She took her time draining him, in which I had found myself an attempted murderer of his wife and kids.

I felt a savage satisfaction, killing a man who would have killed his wife, whom he should have treasured, and his children, who were more precious than anything else in the world. Being a vampire, not being able to have children, made me appreciate the beauty in childhood, in children, in their innocence, and their blind, naïve love for anything and everything.

I met back with Charlotte as she cleaned her hands, drying them on the dead man's shirt.

We turned, about to head home.

"Get your filthy hand off of me," a voice snapped.

"Bella," Lottie gasped, horrified. In a flash I had taken off, following the sound of her voice.

I could hear Bella quarreling with what must have been just one man. But Bella, little Bella, was no match for a full-grown man.

I had nearly reached the place at which they were, when I heard the whistle of blade and Bella's scream.

**Okay I know I haven't updated in a really, really, really long time. I'm not going to go into excuses because I know they don't really matter. I'm trying to update more. I'm making rounds and I'm updating all of my stories for Christmas. I'll try to get another chapter up for New Year. I think once it gets to February I can update a lot more. The Christmas rush and the after Christmas thank-you's and everything else that must be dealt with may carry me away, so February seems accurate.**

**Thank you all for sticking with me, if you review this chapter, I will give you a preview of the coming chapter.**

**Love to you all,**

**Sea**


	9. Author's Note: Explanation

**Author's Note: Explanations**

**Hello everyone.**

**I feel I owe you all an explanation and that the one I gave you all is not exactly sufficient. **

**As you know, I removed a bunch of chapters, effectively removing any traces of the Underworld from my story. If you read the previous author's note, you will know my story line was trashed during my computer's crashing series. **

**I have been trying to write my own story for a long while. I figured it would be fun to have a part of my story, the Underworld, though less refined, on fanfiction, and that it would make for a good tale. But in the end paranoia won out and I took down the story. I took it down and have no intention of putting it up again unless circumstances change drastically, i.e. I publish the book I am writing.**

**I apologize to those of you who preferred the other tale over the new one but you may know how impossible it is to write with paranoia creeping down your spine and a loss of passion for what you believed would always live on. **

**I had originally planned on removing the entire story, giving up on it, and discontinuing it, but then I kept thinking about it and I found something I thought would be better. I happen to like the way this new plot is going. I know you may not see the beauty in it, but I like what is about to happen, and hope that in time, you all will too. If that is not possible for you, I apologize profusely that you cannot appreciate what I have done, and that I disappointed you in any way. **

**If you are so inclined, and I do in fact publish my book I am writing, I will post it up on my stories so those of you who liked that line better can still have a taste for the world once known. Please note that it is a work in progress and can take years to find a publisher even willing to look at my work because of how green I would seem to other more seasoned and accomplished writers. If any of you have any idea how I could get my book published, please, I am begging you, help me. I would be eternally grateful if you would.**

**Love and apologies,**

**Merry Christmas,**

**Sea**


	10. Chapter 8

_Previously_

_Peter POV_

"_Bella," Lottie gasped, horrified. In a flash I had taken off, following the sound of her voice. _

_I could hear Bella quarreling with what must have been just one man. But Bella, little Bella, was no match for a full-grown man._

_I had nearly reached the place at which they were, when I heard the whistle of blade and Bella's scream._

_

* * *

Peter POV_

I whipped around the corner, my vampire reflexes keeping me balanced as I moved faster than any car ever could.

"Bella!" I yelled, horror-struck at the scene before me. Bella, her tiny physique crumpled in a pile on the ground, was coated in the blood that was pooling about her.

"Get lost man I got'er first," the drunk over her slurred.

I roared furiously, launching myself clear over Bella, ripping him away from her. The knife in his hand clattered to the ground as I crushed his neck.

"Sick bastard," I hissed venomously. I couldn't hold back my anger, my foot connecting hard with his side, though I knew he was already dead. His ribs crunched sickeningly. I wished sorely that he was still alive so he could feel the pain I wanted to cause him.

"Peter," Lottie's voice broke through my fury, calling my attention back to the little girl, now cradled in her arms. Lottie held a bag, a tub of ice cream and a box of strawberries, being pulverized in here hand. "She was going to the market, Peter," Lottie sobbed softly, rocking Bella's limp form in her lap.

My fingers moved, fast as lightening, checking under Bella's jaw for a pulse. It was there, but it was slow, weak. She was fading fast.

"Lottie call 911," I ordered her quickly, laying Bella as flat as I could on the ground. I pulled my cotton t-shirt off, pressing it hard against the wound, penetrating deeply into her chest.

"Bella," I called loudly, drowning out the sound of Lottie on the phone with the police. "Bella, honey, can you hear me? Bella… It's Peter and Charlotte. Hold on sweetie, Lottie's calling for help."

A soft, barely audible groan blew from her mouth.

"Bella, honey, you need to wake up," I told her firmly, holding onto one of her hands, my other hand keeping pressure on the gash.

From the placing of the gaping wound I could tell she was suffocating. Her lungs were filling with hot blood; I could hear her breathing become thinner, shallower. She coughed once, her petite figure jerking maniacally. Thick red blood splattered from her mouth, dribbling down her chin.

With feathery fingers Lottie brushed the blood from her face. Her thumb smoothed the creases from her forehead, the wisps of hair from her face.

The screeching of tires was clearly audible, even in the hustle and bustle of the Phoenix nightlife. The wailing of sirens accompanied it.

"Hey!" I shouted, calling their attention to where we were, splayed across the ground.

An EMT's came running over, a black kit in his hands.

"Sir, Ma'am, please take a step back," he directed with a calm authority.

Immediately I gathered Lottie into my arms, lifting her lightly from the ground, giving the EMT room to work.

"Shh, shh," I whispered into Lottie's thick curls. "She's gonna be okay."

There was a series of soft clicks as two EMTs popped up the gurney. "Sir would you or your wife like to ride in the ambulance?"

"If there is any space, we'd both like to go," I said quietly.

"One of you will have to ride up front but we can squeeze you both in," he replied. "We have to hurry though. She's loosing blood fast."

It was all I could do to make sure Lottie didn't move inhumanly quickly to the back door of the ambulance. I jumped up into the front, letting the EMT climb in behind me. A woman EMT was behind the wheel, her brown hair twisted up into a tight bun at the nape of her neck.

She didn't even acknowledge me as she flicked the siren on again, her foot pressing down on the gas at the same moment. She started off slowly, driving me a step closer to insanity with every passing second. But after a few moments we were flying down the streets. Cars around us parted like the Red Sea, leaving our path unobstructed.

"Sir do you know the girl?" the man asked me, a clipboard in his hand.

I nodded. "Her name is Bella Swan. She's eight."

"Are you her father?" he continued, his hand moving speedily over the paper.

"No, my wife and I taught are teaching a safety seminar at her elementary school. We met her there," I informed him, trying to concentrate on the sounds in the back of the ambulance.

"Keep pressure here," a man ordered. "Give me the pump, we have to try to empty out her lungs."

A loud, gurgling slurping made me shudder.

"We're losing her! Hurry, pass me… yeah… twenty milligrams of morphine," the voice urged.

Charlotte's sobs were clearly audible, maybe even to the humans.

"We have two OR doctors standing ready," the man next to me said, clicking a phone back to the dashboard. "The OR is prepped and there are five ready to scrub in."

"We're here," the woman driving barked, easing to stop with speed and precision.

"Sir, Ma'am, please go with the Pat," the EMT told Lottie and I, gesturing to a lady wearing scrubs. "She will take you to the waiting room. The doctor will come to you when they're done."

We sat for what seemed was probably hours, Lottie cradled in my arms.

"Peter, Charlotte?" a familiar, warm voice gasped.

"Gabriel? What are you doing here?" I asked, shocked. Gabriel, having become a doctor shortly after spending time traveling with our close friend Carlisle Cullen, was gliding towards us, Bella's blood staining all down his front.

"I was in the hospital to do a nuero-transplant," he explained, halting in front of us as I helped Lottie gently to her feet. She leaned against me, her arms wrapped in a bone-crushing hug around my ribs. "I was still here when I heard about Bella. I stepped up for the surgery."

"How is she?" Lottie asked, sounding quiet, almost as if she were afraid to know the answer.

"Lottie, Peter," Gabriel sighed, pulling the cap off his head, his deep, chocolate brown hair sweeping from under it. "I'm sorry." His face was sullen, grave. "She had lost so much blood by the time she got here. We stopped the bleeding and we managed to drain the blood from her lung and stitch it up but she's so small. She's in the ICU for now. She's too unstable for my liking but she made it through so far. We should be able to tell more later this evening. Her parents?"

"We tried contacting Renee," my voice shook with surpressed fury. "She told me to hang on a moment and she hung up. Even after I told her Bella was injured. She just hung up. She was laughing, Gabriel! She laughed!"

"Her father?"

"Charlie, he's a mess," Lottie breathed sadly. "When their son died he threw himself into his work. Bella hasn't spoken to him since the funeral."

"Why don't you come to my office and we can discuss this predicament we're in, shall we?" Gabriel sighed again, looking grave.

_

* * *

One Day Later_

_Emmett POV_

I sat with Rose, my arms around her waist, my nose buried in her golden curls. She held the charcoal grey remote in her hand, flipping through channel after channel, a bored look on her face.

I kissed the hollow behind her ear, making her squeal. "Emmett I'm trying to find something good to watch," she laughed, swatting at me. Her topaz eyes sparkled with cheer, making me smile.

I nodded mutely, laying back against the couch.

Rose returned her attention to the flat screen, the channel changing rapidly. Carlisle had a DVR, with over nine thousand channels, and nothing Rose wanted to watch.

"…Phoenix, eight year old Bella…" a flash of voice from the news made me sit bolt up right in my seat, my gold eyes wide with terror. Bella would have turned eight just a little while ago.

"Rose turn the channel back," I ordered hurriedly, leaning forward anxiously.

Alice and Edward looked up from their chess game on the floor in front of us, staring wildly at the t.v., obviously having caught the little clip in the news.

Rose's manicured nail pressed the rewind button, playing it from the beginning of the report.

A lady in a navy blazer, holding a silver microphone, spoke quickly, standing in front of a Pheonix, Arizona hospital. "Last night here in Pheonix, eight year old Isabella Swan was rushed to the hospital after being stabbed in the chest by an unknown assailant," she said without feeling.

"Bella," the name slipped from Edward's mouth. He rocked back on the ground, looking crushed, as if all the breath had been knocked out of him, leaving him dying.

"Oh God," I couldn't help myself. I wanted to bury my face in my hands, to shut out the impossible news. My baby Bella, my little girl, the tiny baby I had nursed so carefully, the little girl I had raised to never be afraid of the dark, was stabbed.

"Young Isabella was rushed to the OR where she made it to recovery in a very unstable state. She passed in her sleep just hours ago, in the ICU here at the Phoenix Memorial."

**

* * *

So, I know I promised an update by the 26, and I'm sorry it's a day late. **

**Anyway, this may end up being the New Years update, it all depends on how things go for me.**

**Love,**

**Sea**


	11. Chapter 9

_Previously_

_Emmett POV_

"Bella," the name slipped from Edward's mouth. He rocked back on the ground, looking crushed, as if all the breath had been knocked out of him, leaving him dying.

"Oh God," I couldn't help myself. I wanted to bury my face in my hands, to shut out the impossible news. My baby Bella, my little girl, the tiny baby I had nursed so carefully, the little girl I had raised to never be afraid of the dark, was stabbed.

"Young Isabella was rushed to the OR where she made it to recovery in a very unstable state. She passed in her sleep just hours ago, in the ICU here at the Phoenix Memorial."

_

* * *

Emmett POV_

"No!" Rose cried desperately. She clasped both hands to her mouth, her shoulders shaking with crazed sobs. Her face was twisted in horror, desolation.

"Oh God Bella," I couldn't hold back the sobs that wracked through me. I felt as if my heart had collapsed in a burst of fiery agony. "Bella."

_

* * *

Third Person POV_

Edward froze, stunned. Bella, his little Bella. Bella was gone. The flood of memories, of feelings, of everything, hit him like a tidal wave, knocking him to the ground with the force of it all.

He curled into a ball, squeezing himself in himself, crushing his legs to his chest. He pulled at his bronze hair, sparkling in the rare sunlight of the Alaskan wilderness.

Bella, laughing as he chased her down the sandy shores of First Beach. Bella, shrieking with delight as he swung her around above his head like an airplane. Bella smiling as she messed with his coppery hair. Bella running, her tiny hand clasped over his much larger one. Bella. Bella, holding tightly to his icy cold hands as she willed his spirit back to his body. Bella.

Her silky brown locks twisting down her back. Her warm chocolate eyes, like endless tunnels to her soul. Her ivory white skin, her pale rosy lips.

Everything he pictured, perfect little Bella, turned dark in the blink of an eye. Instead of the sun casting a glow over Bella, it was the moon, icy darkness surrounding her. Her hair was no longer healthy, shimmering molten chocolate. Her eyes were no longer sparkling with love and luster, but dead, no light in them, dulled like the edge of an over used blade. Her ivory skin turned to pale ice, her rosy lips becoming tinged blue with death.

Agony worse than anything he had ever felt, worse than the change to vampirism, worse than knowing he could never see his baby Bella again. At least then he had some light to look to. He had been able to look ahead and know, just know that even though he could never be with her again, she could be happy. She could get married and have children, move past the loss she had suffered, and be happy, whole, once more.

Now he had none of that. She had none of that. He had lost everything, lost any hope for Bella to live a whole, happy existence. She was dead. She was gone forever.

He had to be alone, had to escape from this hell he was trapped in, no reprieve, not even sleep.

Without waiting for anyone to tell him no, he fled from the room, slamming the door shut behind him as he disappeared from the house.

He ran through the shimmering sun, weaving through the forest until he reached the lake. He threw himself into the icy blue water, hitting the surface with a smacking splash. Letting his dead body sink into the blue oblivion, Edward lay still, unable to bear the unadulterated agony bursting through him in a constant flow.

Slowly, with age and wear his body would never allow, Edward curled in himself, sobbing out noiseless sobs deep under the sunlight shining down on the lake.

The weather was mocking him, taunting him, dancing horridly in front of him. While his Bella was gone, his angel was dead, the rest of the world kept spinning, and people kept laughing, talking, whatever their untroubled minds wished. But not Bella. Not Bella. Bella, who was gone, dead forever, was not laughing. She was dead. She above anyone else deserved to be dancing under the sun, spinning in all of its glory. But she didn't get that. She didn't get to be happy on this bittersweet day. And if his Bella was deprived of that joy, so would he. For the rest of time.

_

* * *

One o'clock AM_

_Peter POV_

I sat beside Bella's bed, holding her hand, distinctly warm against my icy skin. I had hardly left her side since moving her from Phoenix Memorial. Gabriel had deemed it appropriate to move her once hearing our entire story.

Though Bella's mother had the greatest intentions, her carelessness was unacceptable. Her thoughtlessness and her hair-brained, whimsical attitude could have gotten Bella killed. It was safer, while we could still pass Bella's disappearance off on her death and whisk her away to somewhere far, to move her now.

Gabriel called a time of death, flat-lining the machine with a misplaced heart monitor pad and plenty of sedatives. It was risky, drugging Bella so deeply but the defibrillator could have killed her had her heart not been slowed to near death.

He had drained some of the tainted blood while giving her pumping fresh blood into her system the moment he had gotten her settled in his vacation house deep in the desert. It was rare than anyone came out this far so there was next to no chance that anyone would see her.

Though at least half of the morphine had been siphoned from her system, she still remained in a deep slumber, in practically a comatose state. She was too far-gone to know anything for certain. She should not have been moved until she was more stable, but it was too dangerous, risking that others would find her stabilizing and wonder of her sudden death.

"How is she?" Lottie knocked lightly on the door, slipping in to take my open hand. She smiled sadly at Bella's limp, but peaceful form, lying as if she were already dead, buried in the deep blue bedding. She stroked her forehead lightly, brushing wisps of hair from her face.

"No different," I kissed Lottie's cheek softly, letting her rest in the chair beside me. "Gabriel said she's not in a coma. She's just deeply drugged. He said she's stable now. Just in a lot of pain." Lottie's face drooped downward, sadness spreading throughout her angel face. I stroked her cheek tenderly, smiling with a downcast weight. "He's got her under deeply. She doesn't feel a thing.

"Do you want me to watch her for a while?" she asked gently, running a hand across my face, smoothing the worry lines from my forehead. "You should hunt. You haven't since that night."

I sighed, turning my face to kiss her palm. "I'll wait for her to wake up first," I decided, leaning into her hand. "Just to be sure."

"You needn't worry," she assured me. "She's strong. I can feel it. I promise, love."

_

* * *

Four Hours Later_

Bella's pale rose tinted lips opened in a soft groan. Her small body shifted slightly. I reached forward, attempting to stop her, but the damage was done. Her eyes flickered open as she cried out, her chest heaving, only intensifying the pain.

"Bella, sweetie, you need to calm down, breathe slowly," I murmured softly, smoothing her hair with gentle strokes. I had never had a child of my own, though Charlotte and I had always wished we could. But an immortal child was outlawed and I would not condemn an innocent child to death for my selfish wants. But Bella was… different. We, Lottie and I, were drawn to her. I couldn't just leave her behind when her mother was going to get her killed. I had to keep her safe, like she was my own daughter. She was too vulnerable; we had to protect her.

"Peter," she sighed feebly. She smiled dazedly, clutching weakly to my hand. "You… saved… me."

"Shh," I soothed her. "Save your breath. It'll hurt less. Gabriel, a doctor friend of Lottie and I, is on his way in, in a few seconds."

"Thank you," she breathed, still holding my hand.

I just smiled, brushing small circles into the back of her hand with my thumb.

"Hello Bella," Gabriel whispered, slipping noiselessly into the room. He smiled gently, ever the caring and kind doctor. He worried for all his patients, especially the children, but he, like Lottie and I, had taken to Bella, even in her comatose state.

I excused myself from the room, promising Bella that I would return soon, listening to her soft giggling as Gabriel told her a story about when he had gotten into mischief as a child.

_

* * *

Later that Day_

I sat with Lottie on the couch, my head resting on her chin, my arms about her waist. Bella had quickly fallen asleep after he had checked on her. He told us that it was natural and that after her substantial blood loss, she would sleep for hours and hours.

We sat in silence, listening to the steady beat of Bella's heart, Gabriel reading a book at the computer hutch across the room.

I started slightly when my phone buzzed. Lottie laughed at the shocked expression on my face, shifting so I could reach it. Noticing the number on the phone, I flipped it open, startled.

"Carlisle?"


	12. Chapter 10

_Previously_

_We sat in silence, listening to the steady beat of Bella's heart, Gabriel reading a book at the computer hutch across the room. _

_I started slightly when my phone buzzed. Lottie laughed at the shocked expression on my face, shifting so I could reach it. Noticing the number on the phone, I flipped it open, startled. _

"_Carlisle?"_

_

* * *

Peter POV_

"Peter!" Carlisle sighed, sounding aged.

"What's wrong?" Lottie demanded, turning to peer up at me, her ruby eyes open wide.

"Oh, I… I guess I was just checking in on the two of you," he replied tiredly. "We haven't seen you both in quite a while and… Esme and I were wondering if you two would like to come visit."

"Something's wrong isn't it?" I said knowingly. My dark brow furrowed. Carlisle was never this stressed till he changed all five of those teenagers. "Is it the newborns?"

"Well, yes," he said in a strained voice. "Someone from their human lives died recently and they aren't dealing well. Esme and I could really use the extra help keeping them in line."

I sighed, rubbing my temples with one hand. "Carlisle, I'm so sorry, Lottie and I, you know we would be there in a minute at any other time, but right now, we are trying to deal with something. We can't… I can't just leave this. It's big and really important. I'm so, so sorry Carlisle."

It wasn't uncommon for Lottie and I to have issues to deal with. After the years of fighting in the vampire wars, we had both suffered severe emotional damage and sometimes we just needed to be together, just the two of us, alone in the world. Like vampires didn't exist. I was counting on this now, hoping against hope that Carlisle would pass this off as a moment like that.

"No, Peter, you don't need to feel bad. We'll probably just take them up to Denali. Eleazer and Carmen will be able to help us," he assured me quickly.

"How will Edward deal with Tanya?" I asked dryly.

"That… that will be dealt with," he said, though he sounded uncertain.

"Look, Carlisle, I'm really sorry," I said again.

"Don't be, we've got it," he chuckled, sounding almost back to normal. "We were just thinking about company really. It's fine."

"Peter she's waking up," Lottie breathed, as to not alert Carlisle.

"I've got to go, but I'll talk to you again soon okay?" I said hurriedly. I could just imagine him nodding in his doctor-like manner.

"Of course. Bye Peter, give my best to Charlotte."

"And mine to Esme," I replied. "Bye Carlisle."

_

* * *

Five Years Later_

_Peter POV_

"Daddy, stop it," Bella shrieked with laughter, squirming in my arms as I tickled her.

"Good morning Birthday Girl!" I chuckled, tossing her over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes. "Your mother is going to kill me if I don't get you down stairs. She was cooking all last night."

Bella just laughed, pounding on my back. "Put me down!" she cried indignantly. "Dad!" she stretched the title into a near thirty second whining song. "I can walk you know?"

"I would like to consider myself a very smart being, so yes that is something I know," I replied smartly, depositing her in the dining room of our Michigan home. "Happy Birthday Sweetheart." I pressed a quick kiss to the top of her head, before vanishing to reappear beside Lottie.

"Good," she said, smiling sweetly. "I don't have to dismember you." She didn't look up from the ceramic bowl full of waffle batter that she was mixing with a whisk. She looked the picture of a happy mother, her fiery curls up in thick bun, and a sun yellow apron tied neatly over the rich raspberry wrap dress that flowed loosely to her knees.

Taking in Bella had done us both good. She didn't judge us for what we were or who, or what, we hunted. She just smiled lightly, kissing us both on the cheek and continued dancing around the house.

Lottie smiled more. She was always laughing, home schooling Bella and taking her shopping. The two of them spent hours in the kitchen, cooking up whatever they could find. Most of it was donated to the homeless shelter, seeing as Bella was the only one of us who actually could eat, but it was fun for them, and for me, when they dragged me into the kitchen to spend some quality family time. Then the three of us would curl up on the couch, my arm around Lottie's waist as she cradled a sleeping Bella against her.

"You doubt my skills as a father?" I gasped, pretending to be horrified.

"No I doubt your ability to get my sleep-like-the-dead daughter out of bed," Lottie laughed, raising her voice so Bella would hear her.

"Thanks Mom," she grumbled, though I could hear the laugh in her voice. "I love you too."

Lottie laughed again, twirling around with a plate piled high with pancakes. Her movements flowed like water, back and forth, to twirl into the dining room. "Happy birthday, Sweetheart," Lottie whispered, kissing her cheek before depositing the plate onto the table in front of Bella.

Lottie and I sat at the table with Bella as she ate, Lottie babbling about the next shopping trip she was planning. We had only just bought a new house in North Dakota and Lottie was excited to be Bella's sister. We had figured, as Lottie and I looked only twenty, that Bella was too old to be our daughter, even adopted, so she and Lottie would be sisters.

"Lottie, love, Bella probably doesn't want to go shopping," I sighed, hiding my smile behind the newly delivered newspaper. Bella was trying, and failing, to hide her grimace at the thought of shopping for an entire day, as Lottie had said.

Bella was always trying to please us, going out shopping with Lottie and learning to play baseball and allowing me to teach her karate, along with several other martial arts. I had wanted her be able to protect herself; the vision of her, bloodied and dying in that Phoenix street was still fresh in my mind's eye. As she was home-schooled, it was hardly challenging for her to find time to advance until she had mastered four of the seven in just over three years. From then on, it became complicated. She had to keep up her practicing and make time to learn more, as well as her growing into a young woman. Some days I found myself longing for the little child that would laugh and hug my leg because she couldn't reach much higher. I worried that soon I would be breaking out the shotgun father act when the first boyfriend came around.

"Oh but we just got here," Lottie cried, her lips pouting slightly.

"Exactly," I agreed. Bella shot me a betrayed look. "Oh don't give me that Bella. Lottie she probably wants to go exploring. The forests here are beautiful."

Bella shrieked happily. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!" she burst out gleefully, leaping from her chair to kiss my cheek. "Mommy, please?" Bella gave Lottie her innocent, wide-eyed smile.

"Of course you can," Lottie sighed, waving a hand in the air dismissively. "Just don't forget your water…"

"Bottle, jacket, cell phone, and snack, I know," Bella laughed, dancing away from the kitchen. With her martial art, she had gained balance and grace, although she still had her moments where she tripped over nothingness.

_

* * *

Third Person POV_

Bella jogged in silence, leaves whipping at her legs and ankles, exposed because of her small black running shorts. Her ponytail, high on the back of her head, swung back and forth as she ran. The cold Dakota air bit her skin, making her eyes water and her fingers freeze.

A strange noise, like a strangled scream, split the silence.

Alarmed, Bella ripped the ear buds from her ear, her eyes growing wide.

"Hello?" she called out, tucking her iPod headset into her jacket pocket with one gloved hand. There was no response until a second scream.

Bella broke out into a sprint, flying over the fallen logs, twigs, and scattered leaves like a doe. Her breath was even and steady as her arms pumped in perfect lines at her sides. A third, then fourth scream urged her to move even faster, pushing herself to the very extents of her training.

"Hello?" she yelled again, following the sound of the screams.

_

* * *

Bella POV_

My heart thumped wildly in my chest as I burst into a wide-open clearing. A man, boy, maybe eighteen, lay face down in the mud, blood covering his wide, unmoving shoulders. A mountain lion, much larger than I imagined, crouched over him, its black eyes glittering with hunger.

Years of practice, of training overtook my body. I sank low to the ground, scooping up a handful of jagged stones, before leaping high and hurling them, one, then two, then three.

The cat roared angrily, hissing fiercely at me.

"Rah!" I yelled loudly again and again, throwing whatever my trembling fingers could scramble up from the rain-splattered ground. I ripped the jacket from my shoulders, waving it over my head like a giant ghost, still screaming and yelling, kicking up mud and leaves.

Slowly, the mountain lion backed away into the trees, still glaring hatefully at me, before turning and disappearing back up the mountains.

Now that the immediate threat was gone, I began to panic. My hands shook more than ever as I fell to my knees at the man-boy's side. It was hard to distinguish front from back; there was so much blood. But eventually I managed to shift his heavy shoulders so he could breathe easier.

I took gasping breaths, more staggered and unsteady than his as he choked on blood in his lungs. "Thank," he hacked out, blood trickling down from one corner of his mouth.

"Shh," I hushed him, pressing my jacket to the worst of his wounds but it was bleeding too profusely and my flimsy running jacket would do nothing to staunch the flow of blood.

A tear slipped from my eye as I called out, "Dad! Mom!" I waited for one second, and, when nothing happened, I concentrated hard on the flickering flame of energy in the pit of my stomach. It grew and fluttered until it was big enough for me to take part of it away. _Help please! _I whispered to it, sending it away to find my parents. I had discovered back in Minnesota that I could send the ghost of my consciousness in all directions, later learning that it could carry messages for me.

It was mere seconds before they appeared, looking panicked at the scent of so much blood. I had wiped my hair back from my face just before they had arrived, leaving streaks of blood across my face, tiny droplets trickling down my chin. I looked up, tears in my eyes, my heart beating in my ears as I whispered, "Save him. Please. Fix him."


	13. Chapter 11

_Previously_

_Bella POV_

"_Shh," I hushed him, pressing my jacket to the worst of his wounds but it was bleeding too profusely and my flimsy running jacket would do nothing to staunch the flow of blood. _

_A tear slipped from my eye as I called out, "Dad! Mom!" I waited for one second, and, when nothing happened, I concentrated hard on the flickering flame of energy in the pit of my stomach. It grew and fluttered until it was big enough for me to take part of it away. __Help please! __I whispered to it, sending it away to find my parents. I had discovered back in Minnesota that I could send the ghost of my consciousness in all directions, later learning that it could carry messages for me. _

___It was mere seconds before they appeared, looking panicked at the scent of so much blood. I had wiped my hair back from my face just before they had arrived, leaving streaks of blood across my face, tiny droplets trickling down my chin. I looked up, tears in my eyes, my heart beating in my ears as I whispered, "Save him. Please. Fix him."_

___

* * *

Lottie POV_

The heartbroken look in my daughter's eyes made tears of venom well in my eyes. She lost her brother to a beast like this. Seeing another die in the same savage way would break her guarded soul.

I knelt at her side, swiping her tears away with the pad of my thumb. "It's okay, sweetheart." I cast a hard glance at Peter, who, eyes black, was examining the body. He looked at me with sad eyes, shaking his head. This boy, whatever his name was, wouldn't make it.

"Baby girl, do you realize what you're asking me to do?" I asked softly, feeling her shaking in my arms. "You realize that I… I might not be able to?"

"Please, Mommy," she begged, her beautiful chocolate eyes swollen with tears. Her voice cracked several times as her face twisted with dread. "Please! Mommy, try!"

"Lottie, we don't have long, love," Peter whispered at a frequency too high for Bella to hear. I nodded, crouching over the boy's body, feeling the rabid hunger burning in my throat. My eyes, I knew from experience, were black as pitch. I felt my teeth sink into the silken flesh of his throat, basking in the warm gush of heaven that flowed into my mouth. I swallowed eagerly, closing my eyes to fully enjoy the moment.

I don't know how long I stayed that way, my lips on his throat, Bella wrapped in Peter's arms as she cried.

"Mom, he's dying, stop!" she was yelling. Her voice was distant, almost like tunnel vision for audio. "Mom, stop! Please!"

I shut my eyes again, trying to block her voice from my mind. This was my prey, mine, my catch. She couldn't interfere with this moment.

"I can't love you if you kill him."

She spoke so softly I almost didn't hear her. Almost. The fiery thirst died in an instant and I rocked back, away from his shuddering body. His screams pierced my head like a knife, but I backed away, reaching for Bella. Horror swam in my head as I thought of how close I was to losing my baby. I knew she spoke the truth when she said she would never forgive me.

She sobbed silently, reaching blindly towards me. "Thank you," was all she said, clinging tightly to me. I wrapped her firmly in my arms, cradling her head to my chest.

"I'm so sorry, sweetie," I cried softly. "I tried so hard, but I couldn't. It was so much."

___

* * *

Two Days Later_

___Peter POV_

Lottie was beside herself, and, though Bella tried to convince her that she wasn't mad, Bella needed to be moved away from the newborn as soon as possible. When he woke, he would be too much of a danger to her in his crazed state. I tried to convince Lottie to take her to stay with Gabriel, but she panicked, refusing to go anywhere near Bella, for fear of losing control with her. Her eyes welled with tears that would never fall every time she saw Bella trudge through the house.

Gabriel was very gracious about the situation. He had taken a liking to Bella after we dubbed him her unofficial god-father, and agreed to drive out to our large North Dakota home to take her back to his manor house in Chicago, his latest venue. Bella wasn't packing anything because of the overflowing closet she kept at his house. All she had to grab were her staff, sword, and book. She had taken a fascination in Asian weaponry **(a/n: way more fun than martial arts!)** but though she had been practicing, she couldn't grasp the fine points of it. Gabriel was over-joyed to have some uncle-niece bonding time, though stressed because of the circumstances.

The young hiker, Anthony Jacoby, was the star of his high school football team with a full ride to Harvard and law school, and the news of his disappearance had not gone over well with the surrounding towns. A statewide manhunt had been launched to find the kidnapper, and there was no doubt in my mind that the Volturi had heard of our predicament.

Lottie and I had exaggerated the scene of the attack, making it blatantly obvious that he had been 'killed' by a bear, but it had yet to be found by the search. How he had gotten so far off the beaten path was beyond us.

A sudden knock on the door startled both Lottie and I as we sat on the couch. We looked at each other, confused. Gabriel promised to arrive this evening, saying he had a the night shift and couldn't start out for our house until this morning.

I got up slowly, my eyebrows furrowing deeply as I sniffed the air. I froze, recognizing the scent more clearly than I had ever remembered anything. It was a scent I had paired with many a memory.

I swung the door open, my pitch black eyes meeting a pair of glowing, curious eyes.

"Well, well, well it really has been a long time hasn't it, Peter? You do have a lot to tell me."

I nodded gravely. "It seems I do. I guess the only way to handle this would be for you to come inside."

Our guest nodded his head in return, his hair flopping into his face. "Yes."

Lottie bolted up out of her seat. "We can explain, I promise!" she cried immediately.

"Lottie, love, it'll be okay," I said soothingly. "Go tell Bella to stay in her room for the next hour or so."

"Bella? Her name?" he sounded surprised.

"Yes, Carlisle, she has a name," I snapped angrily.


	14. Chapter 12

_Previously_

_"Lottie, love, it'll be okay," I said soothingly. "Go tell Bella to stay in her room for the next hour or so."_

_"Bella? Her name?" he sounded surprised._

_"Yes, Carlisle, she has a name," I snapped angrily._

_

* * *

Peter POV_

Lottie was up the stairs in a flash, speaking to Bella in a hushed tone that we all could hear.

"Why are you so angry, Peter? Have I done something to offend you?" Carlisle seemed genuinely concerned, his golden eyes furrowed with worry.

I groaned, having picked up many a human habit from Bella and her obvious humanness. I pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to find the words to voice my displeasure at his sudden arrival and reaction to my daughter. "You haven't done anything," I said at last, motioning for him to sit down as I took the armchair opposite him. "And I know you well enough to know that you won't. But it's… it's beyond anything you or I can control. It's what you…" I was unsure of what word would be best, " represent," I decided upon.

"Represent?" he inquired, sounding more confused, though relieved.

"You're every vampire out there, Carlisle," I sighed, staring into his golden eyes, as if I could will him to understand. "Every vampire that would hurt her. I know you won't; please don't take this the wrong way. But you're… unique. If it had been anyone else, they would have tried to kill her by now."

"And she's your daughter now," he remarked, seeing the look in my eyes. "You would die for her."

"Is there a question in that?" I grinned slightly, letting him know I was only joking. I regretted my initial anger, but he seemed to understand. "It's just that… our life is too dangerous for her. She's just a child. She needs someone. And her old home wasn't good enough. Her mother was awful and her father didn't care."

Carlisle nodded, taking in the facts one at a time. "You and Charlotte make good parents," he said at last. He was taking in the room. Bella's artwork hung, framed, all around the walls, some of it sloppier from her younger years, some clean and precise, the product of Gabriel's long and hard teachings. Her books, ranging from fiction to school books, were scattered on the coffee table, and her shoes were sticking out from under the cabinet against the wall.

"You're not going to tell anyone will you?" Lottie asked, sounding slightly scared as she stood in the doorway, blocking the entrance to the stairs where I could hear Bella moving around.

"Of course not," Carlisle said vehemently. "Not anyone."

"Not even Esme?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No, not even Esme. It would be… more prudent for her not to know," he said, picking his words carefully as he spoke.

"It puts her in less danger from the Volturi if she doesn't know that a human knows everything about our kind," I translated.

He nodded again.

"I'm sorry," I said at last. "We tried to keep from telling you. We wanted her to grow up and move on with her life, with no one knowing any the wiser. She needed a good home that we could provide. We never wanted trouble for anyone."

Carlisle laughed suddenly. "You both love her very much. And I must say, Peter, you never think more than a step ahead when you love someone."

I couldn't help but smile, looking down like a child with their hand in a cookie jar. "No, I guess not." Lottie giggled, kissing my cheek, as she sat on the armrest of my chair. Carlisle was all too familiar with the story of how I destroyed half of Maria's army to save Charlotte and take her away with me to Pennsylvania where we met Carlisle.

"Well, do I get to meet my niece or what?" he demanded, still smiling jovially.

"Bella," Lottie called, just loud enough for her to hear. Bella skipped down the stairs, taking them two or three at a time.

"Yeah, Mom?" she responded, looking guardedly at Carlisle. He allowed her to appraise him, his gold eyes alight with mirth and curiosity.

"This is your uncle, Carlisle," Lottie said, waving for her to join us at the fireplace.

Bella's stoic expression melted to her normal, happy and open face and she all but bounced over to us. She waved cheerfully, plopping down onto the ottoman beside my chair before turning to me.

"So, got any other family I should know about or are we gonna lock me in my room every time we have a family reunion?" she asked, half curious, half just to lighten the atmosphere.

"Well you have a cousin in," Carlisle began, his laughter shining in his eyes, before Lotte interrupted, "Don't listen to him, we're locking you up at every reunion."

Bella laughed lightly. "I like you," she said decisively, smiling at Carlisle. "You're happy. Don't be so stressed though. It's bad for your outlook."

He chuckled. "I'm afraid I like you, too," he said, leaning back into his chair. "I've never met anyone quite so direct, in a good way, of course."

Raising an eyebrow at me, and then Lottie, Bella tilted her head slightly to the side.

"No, we haven't told him," I answered the question she was all but screaming silently. I turned to Carlisle, "Bella would like us to tell you that she has a superpower! She dresses us with a giant B on a blue suit and flies around saving people."

"Peter shut up," Lottie giggled, covering my mouth. "Bella can see and speak with ghosts."

"I stand corrected," Carlisle said to Bella. "Your mother has a tactlessness that in absolutely…"

"Uncanny?" Bella suggested, nodding her agreement.

"Precisely the word I was looking for!"

We spent the rest of the afternoon familiarizing Carlisle with our new life with Bella and helping him further understand our motives for keeping her. Bella, knowing she would never be assigned an uncle who did not have her best interest at heart, took to him immediately, and the two teamed up well to make fun of Lottie and me.

When Gabriel came, just past eleven, Bella was yawning her complaints about his lack of punctuality. "I," he said defensively, "arrived at the exact time I wished to, young lady." Then, noticing Carlisle, nodded. "Sensei," he crowed mockingly, making a bow-like motion at him.

Bella looked at him.

"When one has as much time as I do, you take up hobbies that seem to haunt you forever," Carlisle explained.

"A martial arts doctor artist semi-pastor," Bella dubbed him, looking very satisfied with her title for him.

"We should be heading out, kiddo," Gabriel said, pushing her towards the door where his car waited. "That new meat might come alive any second now." He waved his fingers at her, as if he were a ghost.

"His name is Tony and he's not meat," Bella grumbled, giving him a lopsided glare-smile.

"He's a mammal, he's made of meat and bones, get with it, Bell." Having being changed at nineteen, Gabriel was still very much a child. He only managed his doctor profession because of Carlisle's calm and matured mentoring.

She rolled her eyes. "People are friends not food," she said, swatting at his chest.

He returned the exasperated look with even more drama, all but flipping his body over with his eyes. "And all that fun crap, yeah, I know," but from his golden eyes, we knew he was secretly agreeing.

The two left, Bella shrieking madly at Gabriel not to drive at 'one-fricking-hundred thousand miles an hour!' He just patted her head and said, "It's only 120."

"How the hell you made him into a doctor is beyond me," I sighed, but I had to laugh. But suddenly, a thought struck me. "You had to have had some motive for coming here, not just to shock the hell out of my family and me."

"I came because I was already in the area when I heard of the young football player, your new meat. I had a surgery to perform some odd miles to west of here so I figured I could come by and help. I made a call to Aro as well. He seems to be more understanding of your predicament than I had hoped."

"We appreciate it. We are not exactly sure how he will respond to this… form. Bella wouldn't let him die… Understandably, so. Her brother died in a bear attack when she was much younger."

_

* * *

Carlisle POV_

I tilted my head to the side, thinking. Ghosts, dead brother, careless mother, bear attack. But it wasn't possible. That Bella had died many a year ago. All five of my children had raced down to Forks, running from Alaska, to hide between the trees at Bella's funeral. Her father had made it clear she was to be buried beside the marker for Emmett.

But with Gabriel's power, his illusions, it would be all too easy for the body in the casket to be an elaborate farce. He had refined his gift over time, making them so real they could even be touched. The broken body of the young girl could have been fake.

Emmett would be overjoyed. He would be ecstatic. He would also be reckless. He would come here, this I was sure of. He would all but tear down the house to find her. And to find her living with human drinkers, he would put himself in more danger than necessary. He would try to protect her from a non-existent danger. He may even present a danger. Caught up in his emotions, he could crush her. He could be so lost in the moment he could lose control and drink from her.

No doubt Edward would beat him down to the house, though. He would be gentle with her. But enough so? My children had grown accustomed to human interaction, but they had not been in close contact with any human, let alone such a delicate child. She may have grown up, but she was still small, hardly older than thirteen. Especially beside vampires, thousands upon thousands of times stronger than her. Peter had trained her well against other humans, even animals, but she would never stand a chance against a vampire. And I had given my word that no one would be told, not even my wife.

I wasn't even sure that it truly was her. How much would they hate me if I got their hopes up, gave them false hope that their little baby was still alive and well, happy even? They would be devastated. Rose would mope for years.

Even now, every human, adult or child, whether Emmett wanted to drink from them or just watch them run by, he would see Bella. He would see his baby sister, laughing, skipping, licking an ice cream cone dripping with melted ice cream, it was always her.

And if possible, Edward was worse. Emmett had Rosalie to distract him, to bring him out of his shell, especially since he asked her to marry him two years after their change. Edward had no one. He sat alone, usually at his piano, playing the same song over and over again like a continuous mantra. Alice explained quietly that it was the song he had composed for her for times when she was sad. It never failed to make her smile. He had played it for their first Christmas spent together and she had fallen in love with it.

He only ever came alive on her birthday when the five of my children sat in a circle, telling their favorite memories of her. It seemed as if it hurt too much to remember her any other day. Some years there were repeats, but when there were, they always added on a new one. Some times it was the same story but from a different one of them.

Edward and Emmett had both told a story about a picnic they all went on. Bella had insisted she would go with or without them, and had climbed up onto the counter to make herself a sandwich. This had made Emmett panic. He could just imagine all of the different ways she could hurt herself in the kitchen, and he had set her on the ground and promised to take her. Edward had joined them, along with Alice and Rose. Jasper came by, drenched with sweat from his morning run, but there nevertheless.

Bella had spent the afternoon dragging Edward around with her to chase the butterflies. Then, all of a sudden it had begun to pour. She and Edward had to hide under an overhang of rock because they had lost their way in the rain. Bella had just sat down and begun to sing. She clapped her hands and laughed, loving every second of it. Emmett's version, however, was of frantic and soaked searching. He had everyone running in circles, his panic almost tangible. He all but died with relief when Edward and Bella reappeared an hour later, the rain having passed and both very much dry. But the look on Bella's face, her eyes shining with adventure was a moment he treasured.

Normal human memories fade, but not theirs. Certain memories more so than others, remained ingrained in their minds. They reviewed them now, in their vampire life, trying to memorize every last detail.

What a joyous occasion it would be if this were there Bella.

* * *

I returned home, nearly two weeks later.

Everything had gone off without a hitch with Anthony. He was overjoyed to be a vampire. He had hated his life, his overbearing parents forcing him into their law profession, his grandfather forcing him to join the football team, and everything else in between. He had denied humans though. He had asked quietly for me to take him hunting animals. The eating humans, as he called it, seemed cannibalistic but he wasn't upset with Peter and Charlotte for doing so, not after they explained how they hunt.

I kissed Esme softly, spinning her around in my arms.

"Anything interesting?" she asked as I greeted all of the children, gathered in the living room. I noted mentally that Edward sat at the piano, playing the same song, cheerful, but seemed to have a sad tone to it.

I looked at her, deliberating for only a second before smiling, "No, nothing new."


End file.
